


In Our Fathers' Names

by daniwritesattimes



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blood and Injury, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Gangs, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:28:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 100
Words: 262,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27952361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daniwritesattimes/pseuds/daniwritesattimes
Summary: There was truly no way of escaping whatever their fathers had thrown them into. Neji’s back straightened as he looked around from person to person, suspecting them all of watching the two as they spoke.“Long as we do what they say, we’ll be fine,” the Nara said. He played with the paper bag trying to avoid being pessimistic about it all.Neji’s head snapped back to the boy, “What do you mean?”“Whatever they tell us to do, we do it.”In which their fathers' past criminal activities follow their oblivious sons years later.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Nara Shikamaru
Comments: 34
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

“Yeah, but what I’m saying is if I don’t like her, then I won’t talk to her,” Ino reiterated herself.

“Okay, but I just don’t think it’s your place to tell her who to talk to is all I’m saying,” Sakura defended.

“Even if the girl knowingly took the guy you told her you liked?” Ino’s face twisted in disbelief. Her eyes widened to captivate the pink haired girl who would not agree with her point no matter how many times the blond reshaped her wording.

“Why are you even arguing over it? It’s a show, isn’t it?” Kiba Inuzuka commented, He lowered himself into the lunch seat next to the Yamanaka. He couldn’t make sense of why they would take something as miniscule as a televised relationship and turn it into a dispute, “It’s not like he was your crush or anything, it was some guy on TV.”

Ino slowly turned her head towards the Inuzuka with a roll of her pale blue eyes. She stared at the boy as if he had said something utterly ridiculous, as if what he had said had to have been a rhetorical question. The boy averted his eyes before reconnecting with the girls’. He shook his head once before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his varsity jacket. “What?” He asked. He was entirely clueless of the girls’ thought processes.

She dismissed the boy with a single hand. She knew the jock would never understand as long as he called the matter trivial. Little did the boy consider how such a situation could very well come to life. She dug into her lunch bag and brought out her typical salad sided with a glass container of a fruit mix finished off by an organic tea sealed beautifully in another piece of glass. Kiba chuckled. Her head snapped to the boy due to having that edge of always being a laughingstock in the Inuzuka’s eyes.

“What?” She nearly hissed before he could finish snickering.

“What?” He leaned in nearly yelling for her to repeat herself. The cafeteria never failed to exceed its decibel limit.

“Why are you laughing?” She lowered her chin and stared at the boy intensely.

“Uh,” he dragged out, slowly looking to the others for help. A smile itched to creep onto his face.

“You dug yourself into that hole, you get yourself out,” Sasuke Uchiha said, not even looking to acknowledge the boy’s silent cry for help. He kept to his own meal and homework.

“Uh,” Kiba continued to search for an outlet. His eyes reached the blond boy next to him who wore the same jacket as himself and the Uchiha.

“Huh?” Naruto asked. He looked up from the homework he and Sasuke were trying to rush before next period.

“Woah, what the fuck is that?” Ino asked bringing Kiba’s attention back to her. The Yamanaka’s exclamation caused the girl across from her to pause in the middle of removing a sandwich from her own lunch bag.

“A ham sandwich,” Sakura said under her breath. She slipped her lunch back into the bag; it never made it to the surface of the cafeteria table before the bleach blond called her out on her imperfection.

Ino knew that she had no reason to explain her outburst; she could tell by the look on the other’s unconfident face. Instead of making further commentary, Ino forked her first bite of leafy greens into her own mouth as she eyed the girl. Sakura proceeded to pull out one of her three, large binders to get an early start on her assignments since she could not eat in peace. She felt her stomach silently rumble but ignored it figuring that there were only two periods left in the day. She wanted to voice her irritation from the girl’s harassment but decided to simmer on it. Instead, she redirected her annoyance to the doggish boy who sat swiveling in his seat looking from person to person.

“Get to work, Kiba,” she ordered, keeping her eyes to her paper. She felt the boy’s eyes and moved to place her pink lunch bag in between them enough to shield her homework.

“What?” He questioned cluelessly yet again.

“I know you didn’t do last night’s homework. We have twenty more minutes, you could finish it if you tried,” she continued.

The boy kept his hands in his jacket pockets and spread his arms out, “Couldn’t if I wanted to,” he turned his back, “Didn’t bring my bag.” He smiled as if it were a joke.

“I saw you come in with your bag this morning,” Naruto pointed out from beside him.

“Yeah, my _gym_ bag with my _gym_ stuff. It’s in my locker,” the Inuzuka explained. He then heard a ripping sound and pinpointed its source to Sasuke who sat directly across from him. The ravenette tore a slip of notebook paper from his binder and slid it in front of the dumb jock. Sakura then handed Kiba her phone.

“Copy the questions onto the paper. They’re on the screen. Just try to get through as much as you can. You have fifteen minutes now that you’ve wasted time showing how helpless you are,” Sakura said from behind her lunchbox.

Kiba rested the side of his face against his hand and stared at the slip of creased paper. He played with the brightness on the girl’s phone before coming up with an idea of his own. He beamed as he exited her photo album and entered her messages.

Neji sat reading two seats down. He had finished everything that was due for the rest of the day and decided to use the rest of lunch for leisure when the glow of his own phone screen took his attention from the page. He read a single message incoming from Sakura Haruno asking if he had the answers to the history homework. Neji bookmarked his page and narrowed his eyes to the Inuzuka who sat just a few feet away. A bright and clumsy smile was beamed in his direction only to be ignored. Neji reopened his book, leaving the message on delivered.

Kiba took that as being his final chance before giving the paper back to Sasuke and sliding the pink phone back to its owner, colliding it with the matching lunch bag. Sakura looked up to the Inuzuka to see him rise to a stand.

“Imma go get something from the vending machines,” Kiba announced before leaving the group to be the stellar students they were.

“Neji,” Ino whispered.

The Hyuga lowered his book to find the girl leaning towards him. Her eyes were avoiding a certain direction that he knew she would be referring to.

“Shikamaru’s been looking at you on and off this whole lunch period,” she spoke quietly. Her motions were opposite of what she was discussing to keep her mentioning of the Nara from being too obvious. “It’s weird,” she smirked over her detox tea.

Neji lowered his book fully over his lap and gave the girl his undivided attention.

“Oh, he’s leaving,” she whispered. She waited until said male was a bit further before dropping her act, “Don’t tell me you didn’t feel his eyes on you. He looked like he wanted to do something to you.”

Neji looked to the girl in a peculiar manner. He furrowed his brows almost as if he were asking her what she had meant by that.

“Look, if you’re ever behind the school alone and he walks around the corner, just run because he looked like he wanted to hurt you,” she giggled, placing a hand against the Hyuga’s shoulder.

Neji looked away, regaining his widely known cool composure.

. . .

Neji exclaimed in ecstasy as the other rocked the bed with his motions. The Hyuga covered his own mouth, effectively stifling another moan before a stifle became a muffle until the hand was no longer of much use. The next stroke against the bundle of nerves made him bite against the extremity as whimpers pitifully spilled from his lips. The male above him panted.

“Are you…” Shikamaru began to ask between breaths.

Neji’s eyes remained sealed shut as long as the other maintained his momentum. He couldn’t possibly explain himself as the Nara railed into him, so he utilized his now sore hand to silence they boy over him. Shikamaru was confused by the sudden hand that was slapped against his mouth but didn’t have the strength or head space to question further before he felt his orgasm power through him in powerful ripples. He leaned further forward as his hips continued in now slowing thrusts as he grunted into the pillow between the Hyuga’s neck and shoulder. Once he stilled, he remained in the position, now panting into the pillow with Neji breathing quick and shallow breaths of his own right by him. They lied idly still for some moments to cool down.

“Get off,” Neji ordered coldy.

Shikamaru cleared his throat and did as told without opposition. He slowly removed himself from the male beneath him making Neji quietly hiss at the sensation of loss. It had always been his least favorite part of their arrangement, the awkward interactions that followed it.

Shikamaru removed the rubber and tied it before he tucked himself away and turned to allow Neji the privacy of dressing himself which the Nara always found pointless since they have seen and touched every part of each other’s bodies. Still, he respected Neji’s comfort.

Shikamaru left the Hyuga and made his way to the kitchen where he found his typical sugar-coated cereal. He poured a bowl and doused it in chocolate milk. He sat under the single kitchen light and ate the concoction in silence. By the time he finished the bowl, Neji would have had enough time to get rid of any clues of what they had been doing. The Nara turned on the small television that sat on the kitchen counter and let it play an old sitcom from before his time. The volume was hardly audible over the hum of the old refrigerator for him to pick up on the dialogue, but it was something to look at while he ate. He looked to a calendar that stuck to the fridge. It would be some weeks until his father returned from his current trucking trip. His father’s career kept the man from home more often than not, and the boy had grown used to being alone in his own home which granted him a large amount of freedom. He typically did whatever he wanted wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. It gave Shikamaru and Neji the leeway to go through with their secretive occasional hookups, however the lack of supervision wasn’t as much of a dream as anyone else from school would draw it out to be. It was lonely at times, but the Nara would sometimes fill the gap by having a variety of people over whenever the feeling began to creep back over him.

Shikamaru drank the flavored milk from his bowl as he watched the woman on screen. He wondered how people used to get hair as big as hers before hearing footsteps heading toward him. He stood and rinsed the bowl knowing that Neji was standing by the door. He hit the power button on the dated television before meeting the Hyuga at the door.

They rode in silence for most of the ride.

“So, what’s the lie this time?” Shikamaru finally spoke up at a red light.

“We were partnered for a project,” Neji responded keeping his gaze through the windshield.

“You know after a while he might start asking where the project is and why we keep getting paired,” the Nara hinted.

“Then we will tell him that you needed my help to fix a plumbing issue,” Neji mouthed smartly.

Shikamaru looked to the male, all seriousness replaced his previously laid-back state of mind. He supposed there weren’t many reasons for the Hyuga to be at the Nara’s house when Neji’s father had prohibited the boy from heading anywhere in Shikamaru’s direction. However, they had to work with the man tracking Neji’s phone at all times of the day, so he could not necessarily lie about his location nor could he leave his phone anywhere besides with him because of the man’s frequent calls. Neji’s father had just begun the tracking some weeks ago and it hindered their encounters. His father seemed to have a lack of trust with Neji for some reason Shikamaru could not begin to understand. The Hyuga was a model student in all aspects. He earned straight A’s and led his own school community service club. He had scholarships nearly throwing themselves at his feet.

“Fine, you were over for a project,” the Nara agreed before taking off at the glow of the green light.


	2. Chapter 2

Upon their arrival, Neji caught sight of his father who stood sternly in the long, cemented driveway.

Shikamaru could never get over the grand size of the home no matter how many times he took the Hyuga home. He always looked to the large chandelier that hung in an even larger window on the upper floor. The home was white just about all over even its pillars shone in the daylight. The four-car garage was another thing to behold through the eyes of someone who had just been made aware of the concept.

As always, the Hyuga parted from the Nara silently and Shikamaru watched as the male made it safely inside. He saw as Neji approached his strict father who still stood in his suit from the day’s work. Shikamaru started to pull off when he caught the man’s disproving eyes before he tailed his son inside.

. . .

Neji stood in a white bathrobe as he blew hot air through his drenched hair. He then opened the door to his bathroom which led directly into his own bedroom that, within itself, was quite spacious. A king-sized bed sat in the center of the backwall, positioning itself directly across from his desk.

He opened the sliding doors to his closet when a knock sounded at his door. He prepared himself for the discussion he knew his father was going to dive into given his absence at the late hour. The man had been silent all the way in but, as Neji had been waiting for, was back to discuss things with his thoughts now all in one place. Neji opened the bedroom door to find his sister instead.

The shy girl looked up to the boy, “Can you help me with my homework?”

. . .

“Do you remember polynomials from algebra?” Neji questioned.

“No,” Hinata nearly whispered. She was embarrassed to find herself so incapable of what should be basic math.

“Okay, how many terms are in the equation?” The male questioned.

“Three,” she responded.

“Correct, therefore it is a…”

“Trinomial, but how do I factor it?”

“Neji,” his father called.

Said boy paused in his tutoring long enough to inhale steadily. This was what he had been anxious for since he stepped foot through the door. He heard the man approach and decided to not bother rising from his seat. He felt the man present himself in the arched entrance and lean his weight against the dry wall.

“What were you doing out so late?” The man questioned.

“I…” Neji began only to be interrupted by his father’s demanding tone.

“Look at me.”

Neji looked over his shoulder to make solid eye contact, but that was not enough.

“Turn around, face me,” as he delivered each order, the boy followed and did as told, “stand. Stand up straight, look at me.” Now that he had the boy’s undivided attention, he narrowed his gaze and looked as though he wanted to cut the boy in his throat. “Where. Were. You. At this time of night?”

Neji knew that the man already knew, he had the boy’s phone locked into his own. He tracked both him and his sisters throughout the day. Still, he knew he had to answer properly. “I was at Shikamaru’s…”

“Why?”

“We were finishing a project,” Neji stated. He then heard Hinata stand with the intention of leaving the two alone.

“Sit,” the man ordered his daughter before looking back to the boy in question, “At this time of night?”

“I stayed after school to preplan for an event for students in advanced placement and volunteered for upcoming community service before revising an essay with him. Its grade weighs as much as a project.”

“You’re smart, you can write your own essay,” Hiashi put simply, “Don’t tell me it was a partnered essay.”

Neji stared to the man blankly.

Hiashi seemed to sink further into the wall. Neji could tell the man had been worn out by the day’s events at work and his disappearance did not bring the man any more ease than his shift. Hiashi massaged his brow. “I told you I don’t want you around that boy.”

Neji continued to stand unresponsive until he had no other choice but to speak.

“If I catch the two of you together again, you won’t leave this house unless I am the one driving you. You’ll go to school, come back and head to extra curriculars that is it.” With that, his father left the boy to tend to his tutoring duty in peace. Neji sat down silently, maintaining a blank stare as he meditated over Hiashi’s words.

. . .

 _‘Really?’_ Read the text from the Nara the very next day. It was in response to the Hyuga alerting him of his father’s words from the night prior. Neji tucked his phone into his pocket as he walked the halls in what everyone in school considered to be the most well-known group of students on campus. Each one of them were either known for their looks or athleticism.

“The dance is in a month. Who are you guys going with?” Ino questioned, pulling a lollipop from her glossed lips. She looked to Sasuke whose answer was the only one she was interested in.

“Oh yeah that reminds me, Hinata, you wanna go?” Naruto asked, circling around to face the girl. He began to pace backwards as he awaited the girl’s response. The girl simply glowed red as her head frantically nodded. “All the other girls are taken,” Naruto pouted. The comment earned him a slicing glare from said girl’s elder brother. The Uzumaki realized the wrong in his wording and jumped to apologize to the girl. She didn’t hear any of it; she was still stuck on being asked to the dance by the boy she had liked since elementary school.

“What about you, Sasuke?” Ino asked, closing in on the Uchiha who only stared to the boisterous blue-eyed boy who fretted over a flustered Hinata.

“Not going.”

“What?” She nearly squawked. “You have to! Come on,” the girl urged.

Sasuke simply continued his trek down the hall leaving the rest to wonder why he refused to attend the event.

“Better luck next time,” Sakura teased.

“Well, as long as he’s got eyes, I’m sure he’ll come around,” Ino shrugged, popping the candy back into her mouth. “What about you Kiba?” The Yamanaka turned to look to the Inuzuka who scowled bitterly. “Kiba?” She questioned.

“Fuck you, man,” Kiba hissed. Ino’s question had only fueled his rage.

“Huh?” Naruto looked from Hinata to the Inuzuka. He was clueless and it only angered Kiba further.

Kiba then shook his head in disbelief before trailing after Sasuke.

Ino deadpanned at Naruto, slowly removing the pink, hard candy from her mouth.

“What? Why is everyone looking at me like I ran over their dog?”

“Because you did, idiot,” Sakura said.

“No, I didn’t! I don’t even have a car yet! And Sakura, I thought you were going with Sasuke. I would’ve asked you,” Naruto defended.

“Hinata, go over there,” Ino shooed. Hinata was too overjoyed to allow her tone and dismissiveness to bite at her spirit. Once the Yamanaka heard a class door shut behind her, Ino continued. She walked up to the Uzumaki before placing a manicured finger against his chest, “Are you dumb?”

Naruto lifted a brow at the phrasing, “No?”

“Then how could you not tell that Kiba had a thing for Hinata?”

“He what?”

“You’re dumb.”

“I’m not.”

“You are,” Sakura joined in. A book threatened to slip from her hand before being caught by the dumbfounded boy.

Naruto scratched his head. “It’s not like it was obvious!” The boy continued to argue.

“Yo,” came a new voice. They all looked to the other side of the hall to find Darui staring right at them with a skateboard sticking out from under his arm. “It’s pretty fucking obvious.” They all then looked right back at the oblivious Uzumaki having presented their point.

“What? Neji did you know?” Naruto was desperately grasping at straws.

Neji nodded. He then watched as Shikamaru Nara exited the bathroom and stop by Darui. The two then walked side by side through the building. The Nara had given no hint that he and Neji were associated in any way. He hadn’t even looked his way. Neji on the other hand continued to watch the Nara as he made his way through the white and red halls.

“Neji.”

The Hyuga refocused his attention on the group.

“Don’t we have a club meeting today?” Sakura asked nervously.

He looked to the clock. They had fifteen minutes to be in position.

. . .

“Parenting the kid isn’t your place. You’re there to shop with the kid. Their guardian should join you when we do this, so if the kid starts to act up, then they’ll be the ones to put them in place, thank you for asking Karui,” Kakashi Hatake explained.

Karui sat back in her seat and crossed her arms, seeming as though his answer was unsatisfactory.

“Right, so if there are no more questions,” the grey-haired man rose from his stool, “then a short recap before you leave. Once you do, there will be a plate of cookies for you all as you walk out,” he clicked to the next slide, “Sometime later from now, we aren’t exactly clear of the date, but sometime around the holidays we are going to take kids shopping for presents. They will be children that come from homes that cannot afford the luxury of yearly pleasantries. This is to give as many kids a happy holiday as we can. Now, I know we’ve already held the question part of this meeting, but any questions, Neji?”

Sakura nervously looked to said male.

Hearing his name, Neji lowered his phone and looked to the instructor who directed all attention to him. “No, apologies.”

“Hm,” Kakashi thought about the boy’s inattentiveness throughout the meeting, “surprising,” his tone was as light and friendly as ever, “That concludes the club meeting, you can take your cookies and go,” he smiled with a wave. The only way one could tell if the man were smiling would be by looking at his eyes due to the rest of his face being covered in a mask. No one ever asked about it. It was just a part of Kakashi that seemed right. Chairs scraped against the tiles floors as students filed out of the classroom in pairs or groups. Sakura was the very last to leave due to wanting to wait on the boy. “Neji, you stay,” Kakashi ordered. The instructor waited until they were left alone to continue his thoughts. He spun to place a hand against the Hyuga’s unsuspecting shoulder. “Is something going on that I need to know about?”

“No, sir.”

“It’s not like you to drown out a teacher when they’re delivering – what in my opinion is – important information,” the man titled his head curiously before sitting on top of his desk.

“Everything is fine,” Neji swore plainly. Nothing about him seemed out of the ordinary. Kakashi looked the boy up and down looking for any silent calls for help as he had been trained to do as an educator.

“Well alright, whatever cookies they didn’t take just take with you. I’m not a big fan of grocery store-brand sugar cookies,” Hatake smiled.

. . .

“Need a ride?” Kiba shouted from the window of Sasuke’s car. They drove slowly by Sakura and Neji. The Hyuga now walked with a full box of colored sugar cookies given to him by the overly generous instructor.

“No thank you. We are only going next door,” Neji declined politely.

“More club shit, huh? Didn’t you guys just come from a meeting?” Kiba guessed.

“This is a different club activity,” Sakura explained.

“Should’ve just done a sport, man. Sakura you’re cute enough to be a cheerleader. Try outs are coming up,” the Inuzuka offered. “you should try it,” Kiba pulled himself back into the car window and fastened his seat belt before Sasuke drove off leaving Neji and Sakura to walk off campus together.

“Can I have one of those?” Sakura decided after forcing herself to ignore the cookies minutes ago.


	3. Chapter 3

Neji walked the girl to the nearest diner to drop her off so she could meet with Ino having finished their service. He still carried the carton of cookies that were now three less than they were when they left the initial club meeting. A couple of people asked to have at least one profusely before he could leave the service. He was determined to bring them home; they were his sisters’ favorite.

Sakura exited the diner’s doors and called for Neji who had gotten through half of the parking lot. “Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own?”

“Yes, I have assignments to get started on,” he replied before starting along the side walk. His father had been caught up in work at the office and could not come to pick the Hyuga up, so Neji decided to simply walk home. It was not worth bothering anyone in the middle of the night.

“Neji!” Called a feminine voice.

The boy turned his head to find a brunette girl climbing out of her vehicle.

. . .

“You need to stop anywhere before I take you home?” TenTen asked, turning the music down.

Neji sent a message notifying his father of his transportation before answering the girl, “No thank you.”

“So, hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you how your thing with Shikamaru is going.” The mention of the Nara had caught Neji off guard. He saw no purpose in such a question.

“Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, just making conversation. You don’t really talk to us anymore, what have you been up to?” She tried.

He, TenTen and another boy named Rock Lee used to be close friends in middle school and began to drift apart because of their busier high school lives. School clubs began to take up many hours in Neji’s week. TenTen’s softball took many of her afternoons and wrestling became Lee’s main focus once he was enrolled in another school nearby.

“School,” Neji reminded.

“Yeah,” the girl sighed.

“Shikamaru and I are no longer seeing each other,” the Hyuga admitted.

“What? Is there someone new?” She asked as if the two were a couple.

“No. We only had our benefits. Neither of us felt strongly towards one another even before high school,” Neji watched the town as they sped through the street that divided it, “It was time we stopped.”

“Did you guys get caught?” TenTen concluded. At Neji’s silence she snorted.

“Almost,” he admitted.

“What’s with the cookies?”

“Do you want one?”

“No, those are horrible. Why do you have them?”

“A club meeting,” he eyed the dessert.

“I’m glad I didn’t let you convince me to join,” she laughed.

He simply peered back through the window in the night.

“You know you owe me for the ride, right?”

“What do you want?” Neji asked skeptically. He thought back on the things the girl had forced him into in the past. He had been forced into dresses, make up and barrettes. Somewhere along the line he had become target practice for her softball try outs. He could still imagine the feeling of the circular bruise on his ribs on that night.

“My mom is on to me. I need you to pose as my boyfriend,” she said it as if it was something people did on the regular.

“What?” Neji looked to the girl’s hand that was covered in thin silver rings as it steered the car. He then looked to the side of the girl’s face. She was clenching her jaw tensely. She was serious.

“I need to get rid of her suspicions, please. Look, if the car ride wasn’t enough then I’ll pay you a monthly fee. I just need her off my back until I move out, come on, just ten months of pretend. It’s not like you have to be around twenty-four-seven. I’ll do most of the lying anyways,” she shrugged. She rolled to a stop at a stop sign before unbuttoning one of the buttons of her over-sized flannel. She then turned on the air conditioning and switched the vents towards her. Just looking at her told Neji that she had softball practice that day by the way her hair barely stuck properly in its tie. He studied the girl a bit longer. He considered it for some moments, contributing to the car ride’s silence.

“Alright,” he agreed.

A loud clap sounded paired with a yell from the brunette next to him. It made the Hyuga stiffen. “Thanks, Neji,” she beamed cheerfully before turning the music back up.

The male felt something sink within him knowing that he would have to pose as something he wasn’t. He wasn’t exactly a skillful liar, but he wasn’t terrible at it if it really must be done. He looked back through his own window to see Shikamaru’s car parked out front of a minimart of a gas station. However, once they rode past the mart, Neji could see the back of the building. He found four figures standing in the dark. The car stopped at a red light some ways down the road, still the four were just barely visible from where he sat. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make the figures out.

TenTen looked to the male who had rotated fully in his seat. “What are you looking at?” She asked humorously.

The longer Neji looked, the more one of the figures seemed to be wearing the same sweatshirt as the Nara from earlier today. He then rushed to unlock his phone in order to dial the boy’s phone. The phone rang as Neji watched the figures in the dark. He saw one silhouette rip something from another and throw it to the ground. That was Shikamaru. He was surrounded.

“Turn around,” Neji said quietly.

“What?”

“Turn around,” he was more firm.

“Why? Did you just remember you needed something?”

“I see Shikamaru,” Neji was worried. That much TenTen could tell. The way his eyes refused to stick to one object at a time showed he was indeed worried sick. She did as she was told and made a U-turn at the light. Thankfully the road was empty giving her the ability to skip lanes.

“Where?”

“The gas station.”

The girl sped into the minimart parking lot. They both hurried from the car though it was positioned crookedly in its spot.

Neji threw the doors open, violently ringing the doorbell overhead before he sped towards the back.

“Hey, that’s staff only,” the cashier called out, but Neji ignored him and continued toward the back of the store where he found Shikamaru crowded by three men that towered over him. One had a darker complexion with long, brown hair. He had tattooed stitches at the corners of his mouth and along his arms. Next to him was a larger man, pale in color with blue hair. Beside him was another man with silver hair slicked back. He wore some sort of chain around his neck and smirked evilly. Unfortunately, the group turned towards the newcomers who disrupted their meeting, and, on sight, they aimed guns to the two.

“Go,” Shikamaru called out.

Neji froze. He looked to each barrel that was pointed towards him. They were closed in by a wired fence. Shikamaru could not escape. The Hyuga felt his heart pound in his chest at the change of situation.

“Get out of here,” the Nara said calmly.

“Oh, you’re friends? Is that it?” The man with silver hair guessed as he sauntered forward.

“Don’t touch him,” Shikamaru sighed devoid of energy.

The silver haired man turned to look to their hostage as if he had said something unbelievably comical. “Are you,” he looked to the other men with guns, “Is he trying to give us orders?” A laugh threatened to escape him at the preposterous question. “The guy we were just holding at gun point is telling us where to point our guns.”

Shikamaru kept his hands in his pockets and lowered his head. He looked to the sheen against the dark splotches on the concrete. The rain had come and gone earlier, so his sweatshirt was drenched. He only wanted to go home. He then directed a piercing glare to Neji who still stood in place in front of TenTen who was at just as much of a loss as to what to do as him. “Go,” he silently mouthed a second time.

Neji swallowed thickly before taking a single step backwards. The group of men saw his effort of retreat and scoffed. They turned their attention to the boy they had been harassing prior to Neji and TenTen’s arrival.

“And don’t call the cops. They won’t do anything,” Shikamaru ordered clearly.

Neji couldn’t believe his words. Whatever he was in the middle of, clearly he was either at fault of some sort of crime, or he was being threatened from calling the police. Neji looked to the Nara’s phone that lie cracked by the back door. The Hyuga grabbed it and looked to the boy one last time.

“Neji,” TenTen said, fear clenching her throat. She grabbed the male by the crook of his arm to pull him inside.

Neji nearly tripped at the force before she released her grip. He steadied himself and looked to the girl who stopped to face the male. Her brown eyes were shot wide. Both her hands were placed over her head. “Neji, come on,” her tone suggested that she wouldn’t tell him again before leaving him behind.

“We have to call,” Neji said.

“Did you not just hear him? Whatever he’s caught up in, he did it to himself,” the girl stated as she rushed to Neji, pulling him by the arm all over again. The two rushed towards the front doors, swinging them open and jumping into her SUV. She hurried to start the engine and steer out of the parking lot, doing little to survey her surroundings before making the jerky motions. “You were right. It was about time you two stopped hooking up, Neji.”

The male in the passenger seat was still shaken. He couldn’t help but feel that if the Nara didn’t attend the next day, it would be his fault. He felt like he might wish that he had done more now. He was frightened Shikamaru wouldn’t make it out of his situation. His mind was not as curious about the events that led up to where the Nara was now as much as it was concerned about how the boy would resolve the issue.

“Look, I know you want to call the cops, but what if he messed with those guys in the past? What if they kill him as soon as they hear a siren? We don’t know the circumstances, Neji! We don’t!” She was terrified from the scene. She was no less tense than the Hyuga beside her. “We can’t do anything, okay?”

. . .

Neji sat at his desk that was illuminated by the warm glow of his lamp. His phone went off and he nearly ripped the device from the desktop only to find Kiba asking for the answers for the test study guide.

“Neji?” His father called from outside.

Neji hugged the phone to himself reflexively before tossing it to the side. “Yes?”

“Can I come in?”

“Yes,” the Hyuga picked up his pencil and looked back to the math problems before him. He listened to the door open as the man paced into the space. He felt the man’s presence at the end of his desk. Neji continued to work through the problem before dropping the pencil. He looked to Hiashi who gazed at the work sheet. Once again, Neji could tell the man was collecting his words before opening his mouth. The boy tried to steady his breathing. The anxiety from earlier hadn’t settled especially with Shikamaru not answering. Before coming home, Neji had thrown his own phone out of the car window successfully landing it in a park not too far from home to prevent Hiashi from tracking him for only a few minutes. He then dropped Shikamaru’s phone off at the Nara’s doorstep after making sure the screen was still functioning. Of course, upon recovering his own phone, Neji found that he had missed five calls from Hiashi. It was just a risk he had to take to make sure his father didn’t see his arrival to the boy’s home. He was sure that was the man’s reasoning for entering his room.

“Is something wrong?” Hiashi asked.

Neji shook his head.

“Use your words.”

“No,” Neji corrected.

Hiashi looked Neji up and down as the boy looked back to his homework. His father then looked to the clock that sat on his son’s nightstand. It was close to midnight. The room was relatively dark apart from the dim light on his desk and the light pouring in the from the hallway. “Choose your friends wisely,” Hiashi put simply.

Neji’s pencil stopped moving.

“Who you surround yourself with is completely up to you, but choose wisely,” the man rephrased before leaning away from his desk and leaving the room having explained nothing of his change of heart. Neji knew that it was the man’s way of apologizing for last night’s interrogation. He was allowing him to see Shikamaru, but he did not wish to explicitly say it. Neji didn’t look to where Hiashi had been standing until he heard the man’s feet trailing away from his room. Neji sprung from his seat and sat on his bed before scooping up his phone to check for anything from the Nara. Seeing nothing, Neji frowned as he bit his lip. He fell backwards against the bed and turned on his side. He rubbed his hands up and down his face, stopping them to cover his mouth. The image of the Nara circled by the armed men in the back of an old building surrounded by wired fencing presented itself again and again. Neji closed his eyes. His heart began to pound again as his stomach twisted tightly.

A notification sounded off.

Neji turned over to look at the alert before his screen faded to black.

 _‘Hey,’_ Delivered by Shikamaru Nara.


	4. Chapter 4

“I don’t get why you can’t just give me the answers,” Kiba complained.

“I don’t get why you can’t just do your work,” Sasuke countered.

“It’s hard,” the Inuzuka whined.

Sasuke gave him a cold stare.

“Hey, you can copy mine,” Naruto offered shyly next to the Uchiha. The boy felt bad for what happened the previous day and wanted to make it up to Kiba anyway he knew how. The ravenette looked to the blond for a long while, freezing the Uzumaki in his place.

“What?” Naruto questioned.

Sasuke leaned away from the wall of the senior lounge and left the two alone.

“What’s wrong with him? He’s been weird lately,” Kiba commented.

“I don’t know, it’s not like I did anything,” Naruto shrugged, fishing for his work through the sea of unorganized wads of paper.

“Dude, your bag’s a mess.”

“At least I have one,” Naruto shot back seeing that it was yet another day of Kiba leaving his academic supplies at home.

“I think Sasuke’s mad because he sent you his work, Naruto, and now you’re freely giving it away to Kiba who never wants to help himself,” Ino said, standing from the cushioned bench.

“I don’t get why it’s such a big deal. We’re all friends anyways, why can’t Kiba get the answers?” Naruto questioned honestly.

“Yeah!” Kiba backed him.

“Because it’s not fair that Sasuke had to work all night on it and Kiba gets to just copy it all in less than ten minutes,” Ino explained as a matter of factly.

“Says you who gets all of your homework from that TenTen girl,” Kiba teased.

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“I pay her,” Ino said.

“Really?”

“Sometimes,” the girl mumbled.

“Neji didn’t you date her in middle school?” Kiba asked as Naruto continued to search for the answers.

“No,” Neji denied truthfully before looking beyond the senior lounge and into the hall. The only reason they had entry to the lounge was because Neji was in fact a senior; the rest were juniors. He was their ticket in, though it was not as if anyone truly checked. The freshmen and sophomores were too nervous to even attempt to breach the rules of the school just yet, so it was rare that there were students less than the age of sixteen in the senior lounge throughout the day.

“No, you guys totally were,” Kiba grinned.

“How the fuck would that work if he’s gay, dumb ass? Just because a guy and a girl hung out doesn’t mean they were together,” Ino placed a hand to her hip.

Neji ignored the conversation as a whole as he watched through the hall. He spotted Shikamaru emerge from a class and kept his eyes on the boy as he moved. He came to school today, he was here, he was alive, he was okay. Now, Neji had questions. Shikamaru caught his eyes and Neji tilted his head toward the courtyard telling him to meet him there. He watched the Nara rub the back of his neck and look away before nodding.

“I swear you never think for yourself,” Ino tossed her hair over her shoulder before taking a sip of her glass bottled tea. Kiba silently mocked her once she turned her back. Naruto finally pulled the slip of paper from his bag and laughed at the impression.

. . .

Neji stood under the tree that sprouted from a large circle of dirt that was surrounded by the concrete walkway of the courtyard. Neji watched the doors of the largest building on the high school campus and waited for the boy in mind. Right when the Hyuga began feeling for his phone to send the Nara a text, Shikamaru sauntered through the cafeteria doors and walked towards Neji who waited impatiently. He didn’t get to close the distance between them before Neji walked towards him. The Hyuga did not wait long enough to come face to face with Shikamaru before he began his questioning.

“What happened?” Neji asked with urgency.

“Be quiet,” the Nara ordered lowly as he looked around, “look, I don’t know.”

Neji stopped halfway to meeting the other. He crossed his arms in disbelief, “You don’t know,” the Hyuga repeated.

“The only reason I’m here is because I’m kinda freaked out about being home alone right now. I don’t know who those guys were, but they knew me. I don’t know how. They just said they were sent to check in on me or something,” his face seemed like a mix of lazy and weary. He was uneasy, that much he was being honest about.

“Why could we not call the police?”

“Because they told me the cops work for them. I didn’t want to take any chances, okay? They knew me, Neji. They knew my full name, address, life story, mom, dad. They knew where I was born and where I grew up. They even knew what I bought from the grocery store last week so believing that they had moles in the police system wasn’t too hard to believe,” he spoke barely a notch above a whisper.

Neji took a step closer as he came around to listening. He saw that the boy’s hands weren’t in his pockets as they usually would be. He wasn’t slouching. He was more aware almost as if he were on edge. Neji searched the rest of the Nara. The rest of him told the elder that Shikamaru had not slept the night before and Neji was willing to guess that he hadn’t eaten either.

“They talked about knowing my dad more than anything. They said that he had three days to show back up or else something I don’t know. My dad is a truck driver he won’t be back for weeks,” he placed a hand on his head as his glossy eyes widened in realization, “fuck,” he muttered repeatedly, “fuck, fuck.” He covered his mouth and nose with his hands before shutting his tired eyes.

“Is there anyone else you can stay with?” Neji suggested.

Shikamaru lowered his hand slowly as he began to think. He sucked in his lip and nodded numbly it wasn’t confident, but it was confirmation.

“Stay with them.”

“If I can,” the Nara responded.

“If?”

“I don’t know if his parents would let me.”

“Who is it?” Neji asked.

. . .

The final bell rang, and students filed through the halls. Some stopped to catch up with friends, others ran to their significant other. There was a handful that tried to swim against the heavy flow of the stampede that wished to get out of the stuffy building for the day and head home. Neji walked side by side with Sasuke through the crowded hall. He was worried; Shikamaru wouldn’t tell him who he would be staying with through text. Neji supposed it could have been a lack of trust or the boy might have been scared that someone was monitoring his device which wouldn’t be too paranoid given how much they seemed to know about the boy’s personal life. No regular thug from the rough part of town would have been able to grip on to such information. It was alarming.

Neji and Sasuke finally reached the building’s doors and swung them open. Neji stopped at the sight of Shikamaru getting into his car along with Darui. He must have been the one Shikamaru would be staying with for the next few days.

“Neji,” Sasuke called from next to him.

The Hyuga looked to the Uchiha who watched Shikamaru drive off once the students cleared from the lot.

Neji trailed his eyes to the Nara’s sedan before glancing back to the ravenette, “Yes?”

“Do you need a ride?”

“Yes, thank you,” the Hyuga agreed. He knew Sasuke was observant enough to have caught on to him and Shikamaru by now. Neji wasn’t all too concerned about it; he knew nothing they did at school would lead on to the details of the relationship he shared with the Nara. Besides, Sasuke wasn’t one for speaking about others. He was quiet.

. . .

It was a rarity that Neji didn’t have some sort of extracurricular activity to attend or lead after school, so leaving campus early would have been a nice change if he weren’t sitting in between two girls with differences.

“Why couldn’t Omoi give you a ride?” Ino asked while scrolling through her phone.

“He had practice,” Karui spat though she knew that the Yamanaka was already aware.

“You couldn’t wait for him to finish?” The Yamanaka questioned.

“Say what you want to say,” Karui looked to the blond girl.

“I don’t get how you keep finding ways to come back to me knowing you did what you did,” Ino put lightly.

“Knowing I did what I did? Okay, when are you gonna get sick of acting like the world revolves around you? Yes, I exposed your secret, but you kept flirting with my boyfriend, so I don’t see how you’re any better than me right now, I really don’t. Enlighten me, Ino, please,” Karui argued.

“Nobody had to know what you posted, Karui!”

“Hardly anyone did, it had three whole views before you told me to take it down, and I did. But when I told you to back off Omoi, you wouldn’t hear it.”

“All it takes is one person to screen shot and share something it doesn’t matter that you took it down!”

“They were all people who really don’t give a damn about you, Ino. I don’t know how many times I’m going to have to revisit this with you. I thought we were over this whole thing but clearly my little post traumatized you, so let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about how you’re a low-down bitch who doesn’t know how to keep someone out from between your thighs, let’s start there.”

Ino stared at the girl. Her mouth was agape. “Drop her off,” she ordered calmly.

Neji watched Sasuke and Kiba exchange glances.

“Drop her off!” She yelled.

“Oh, don’t you worry. I was about to duck, tuck and roll myself. Sasuke? Can you just let me out right here? I’ll walk back to school and just wait for Omoi to finish tossing this ball around at practice,” Karui said. She waited for the car to come to a complete stop as they pulled into the parking lot of a nearby café, “Thank you so much. You all have a good day if you haven’t tried to fuck your friend’s boyfriend,” she waved, slamming the door shut.

“He came on to me!” Ino yelled, shaking the vehicle.

. . .

Neji sat across from Ino as the two worked – or at least tried to work – on their schoolwork in the comfort of the small café.

The girl groaned, “I mean does that make sense to you?” Ino complained.

Neji sighed silently wishing to not get tangled up in whatever the two girls had going on over social media.

“She exposed a secret I told her freshman year on the internet because her boyfriend came on to me and all I ever did was be nice to him. I don’t like Omoi! At all! Please tell me my side makes sense. I know better than to ask Sakura. All she’d do is side with Karui; she’s never on my side. She could see someone steal my money in broad daylight and blame me for having a wallet!”

“Your tea,” the waiter said.

“Thank you,” the girl said taking the cup before getting back to the point, “You can’t blame me for shit that I didn’t even start!”

Neji continued taking notes from his textbook, “She should not have put your secret online, but you should not have let Omoi get the impression that he could come on to you,” he said.

“Are you kidding me? I never _did_! One day he messaged me and started talking to me, I don’t know why. I just knew he was my friend’s boyfriend, so I was nice. He started showing the same kindness off screen and in school, then Karui started getting paranoid and posted that shit! Men will take anything as a green light, won’t they? I mean of course not you, you’re different,” she brought herself down some notches before sipping her tea.

Neji watched the girl flinch from the tea’s heat before blowing over it.

“Anyways, I think I’m done with friends because now Sakura is going after Sasuke knowing that I’ve liked him since elementary.”

“I believe she has, too,” Neji tried to reason.

“Don’t side against me like everyone else,” she put harshly.

Neji’s eyes fell back to his book when his phone went off. He wasted no time pulling it from his pocket and closing his textbook.

_‘I think you saw who I was with earlier. That’s who,’ Shikamaru Nara._

Neji began to type his response leaving the girl to feel as though she were speaking to a brick wall, _‘I did see. Are you any more confident in your safety than before?’_ Before Neji could send the message, the phone was ripped from his hands by the girl whose discussion he had abandoned.

“Shikamaru?” Ino questioned. “What business do you have with him? Safety? What the hell is going on?”

Neji took the device back and sent his message. He placed his phone against his leg before continuing his work. Ino placed an elbow against the wooden tabletop and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. “Neji?”

He ignored the curious girl.

“Neji.”

Nothing.

“Neji?”

His phone chimed again. He responded to it in record time unlike the girl’s calls. He read the new message.

_‘Can we talk in person?’ Shikamaru._

He really was scared.

_‘I can bring you here, I just wanna talk,’ Shikamaru._

Neji read the two messages and thought about the pile of work that yearned for his attention, but he supposed he could relocate, _‘alright,’_ he responded. He then lowered his phone forgetting Ino’s question.

“Neji why are you talking to Shikamaru?” Ino questioned. She made it seem like a criminal offense.

Neji looked to the girl, keeping his mouth sealed. He remembers her and Shikamaru being rather close in elementary school. That was until the boy disappeared in the fourth grade and returned in the eighth which was when he and Shikamaru began their arrangement behind closed doors. She might have known of the reason behind the boy’s disappearance but behaved as though it were beneath her. Neji never asked because, given the type of relationship he shared with the Nara, he never felt as though it was ever his place to ask. After thinking for some moments, Neji began to pack his books and supplies into his bag.

“What?” Ino lifted her hands from the table, “Where are you going? Are you going to respond? I don’t know if you can see it but from where I’m sitting, you’re being pretty rude.”

Neji thought of an answer to satisfy the girl, “We have a project to work on.”


	5. Chapter 5

Neji and Shikamaru walked through the screen door and found Darui sitting on a worn-in leather couch watching television with his feet resting on the living room’s coffee table. He reached into the bowl of chips that sat on his stomach as he flipped from channel to channel. He stuck up a single hand as a greeting to the two who had just entered before Shikamaru walked up the immediate stairs. Neji followed the Nara.

The two entered what Neji assumed to be Darui’s room. Shikamaru shut the door behind them.

“This isn’t the first time this happened,” Shikamaru admitted before looking to Neji with the eyes of someone who had been hiding an important truth.

“What? For how long?” Neji questioned.

“Three years give or take.”

“And you never mentioned it?”

“I can’t go to the cops, Neji.”

“You couldn’t tell anyone else?”

“Tried to tell Dad, but he’d just tell me to stay inside until it was suddenly safe again, whatever safe meant. He just told me not to tell anyone else and that it’d be fine,” the Nara said doubtfully.

“So, what is different about this time?” Neji lowered his voice, “If you are so used to it.”

The door opened gaining both of their immediate attention. Darui stood in the door with a spoon hanging from his mouth. “I just need my…” He looked around the room for the item in mind, “Oh,” he walked in front of Neji who backed away. Darui then leaned down to retrieve his slippers from underneath his messy bed before exiting the room. Shikamaru walked to shut the door behind him.

“The guns are new,” the Nara answered finally.

“They did not have guns before?”

“No, before they would maybe follow me around, or I’d get weird messages, but that was where it usually stopped. Dad wasn’t exactly calm about it, he just seemed like he knew why it was happening which was what really freaked me out more than anything. Now he’s gone and he won’t pick up.” Just then, his phone rang. He lifted it from the bean bag chair that slumped in the corner of the room to see an unknown number calling.

“Do not answer it,” Neji said.

Shikamaru answered the call and watched the Hyuga look at him as if he were a fool for doing so. The Nara slowly neared it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Shikamaru?”

“Dad?”

Neji crossed his arms and listened.

“I’m sorry if you’ve been calling, I got caught up in something and my phone was lost. I’ll be home soon. My route was shorter than I thought. Sit tight until I’m there, then maybe we could do something together, alright?” The man said.

“Alright,” Shikamaru said unsure of the sudden change of schedule. He was more so amazed at the convenient timing of his call more than anything.

“Alright, see you.” He listened to the phone click. It sounded old fashioned, liked a wired phone, like something out of a movie.

“Is he alright?” Neji asked.

“I think he was in a phone booth.”

. . .

Neji watched his ride as the dark green sedan drove down the street.

The Hyuga walked into his home to find Hiashi peering through the blinds of the dining room. Neji heard the blinds drop and watched his father face him with a stern look. The man was home early.

“I worked from home today,” Hiashi explained.

“I see,” Neji responded. He was unsure of what to say, but the man looked as if he was expecting some sort of response from the younger male. Hiashi – as always – looked Neji up and down. Just like before, no immediate lecture followed this time. Neji half expected one to be in the works for later.

“I know it’s early, but dinner is on the stove,” his father said before leaving Neji to reflect on his own actions. Neji thought through the events within the past twenty-four hours and began to worry about a number of things he had done. Was Hiashi upset over his late arrival last night? Had he found out about Neji faking his location? Was he angry at seeing Neji alongside the Nara so soon after being allowed so much as standing within ten feet of him? He could not pinpoint just which one it was. Could it be all of them?

“I suggest you get started on your work. You know better than anyone else how long the task seems to take you these days,” his father called from the kitchen.

. . .

Neji began to nod off. He had been working for three hours and the sun was long gone. He checked his phone in hopes of the screen light waking him up. He found countless notifications from the group chat of Ino and Sakura telling Kiba to do his work and bring his school supplies for class. Naruto only came in long enough to tell the Inuzuka he won’t be giving him the answers anymore. After that followed twenty-three ‘why’s’ all sent in separate messages by Kiba himself. Neji shook his head and found that there were countless new messages in each one of his club group chats. He sighed before rising from his seat to stretch. He looked to the small trashcan filled with scrap papers of old homework and club planning which reminded him that it was his turn to take out the trash for the week.

He opened his door and looked up and down the hall to see that all lights had gone out for the night. Neji then crept down the stairs and used the flashlight of his phone to find a large enough trash bag to collect each trashed item from around the house. He emptied the refrigerator of spoiled fruits and aged leftovers from the week prior. He looked to some mystery liquid with a note on it that read ‘Hanabi’ and decided to leave it. It was most likely some sort of experiment with countless household chemicals.

After collecting the rest of the garbage from each room with a miniature can, Neji disarmed the security system and dragged the heavy bag outside to where the outer garbagecan sat on the side of the house. He pulled the can to the curb, visible enough for the trashman, before heading back inside.

A notification rang his phone.

He shut the door behind him and armed the security alarm system before reading the message. It was from an unknown number.

_‘We’re here.’_

Neji furrowed his brows as he reread the message before being grabbed from behind. A heavy, gloved hand covered his mouth while a number of others dragged him to the living room. He was forcefully pushed to the white sofa. An arm hooked around his neck. He felt someone keeping a hard grip on his wrists, forearms and upper arms. His mouth had yet to be uncovered. His quickened breaths began to condense against the leather glove. More hands held his feet to the ground, others kept his legs in place. Each hand against him was heavy and aggressive. The force within them began to cause soreness. He then heard a loud click at the side of his head and felt the coolness of a gun being pressed against his temple. That was what caused a peep to omit from his throat. They were quieted panicked sounds in response to nearly being choked while being held at gun point. He would be shaking if countless men weren’t holding him to his seat, leaving hardly any room to breathe. He broke out into a cold sweat and sealed his eyes shut, silently pleading that they leave him in one piece.

“Do you know why we’re here, Neji?” One man questioned. He was the only one who hadn’t laid a hand on the Hyuga. The figure made nearly invisible by the dark continued, “We’re here because your dad is in the middle of some disappearing act. We warned him that if he didn’t get back to us, his son would pay the price. Well…” He leaned in closer to his new hostage, “looks like even knowing that, he still decided not to show face, so what does that mean for you? Hm? Seems like Daddy could take you or leave you. So sad. I’ll tell you what, we won’t hurt a pretty hair on your pretty head if you okay along,” there was a pout in his tone, “until Daddy comes back. That is if he wants to.”

Neji felt the stranger stroke his hair while Neji tried his hardest not to hyperventilate under the heat of a man’s leather glove.

“What do you say, hm? You gonna play with us until Pops gets back?”

Neji had no clue of what he was talking about. He thought to when Hiashi had told him he had worked from home that day. Could that have been a lie?

The man pressed the cold weapon against Neji’s head with greater pressure than before making the boy cower. Neji nodded in his best ability before he was released from the various grips. He looked up to the man who backed away far enough to aim the gun directly between Neji’s eyes. Now free of the restraints, the Hyuga was visibly shaking in his seat.

“Disarm the system,” the stranger gestured the gun to the security grid just by the front door.

Neji kept his eyes on what he could see of the intruder as he slowly rose from his seat. He could feel that he was surrounded by more men in black, blending into the dark crevices of the spacious living room. He moved carefully to the front door. He knew disarming the system in front of them all meant that he would be giving the passcode out for all to see, however he was not given much of an option in the moment. He entered the code which was the ages of each of Hiashi’s children from youngest to oldest.

“Expect your assignments soon, Neji Hyuga,” he said mockingly before walking into the night.

Neji fought himself not to slam the door shut in his panic. He did not wish to wake those on the upper floor. He backed away from the door and circled. His guard was high. He grabbed his phone that had fallen against the floor back when he was roughly grabbed and ushered to the living room. His breath would not slow. On his way back up to his room, he turned on every single light in his path to make sure the rest of the way was clear before proceeding. Once he reached his room, he kept the lamp on, but the shapes and shadows it made only unnerved him. He sat up from his bed and turned the room’s ceiling light on and settled back in the sheets. Adding Shikamaru’s words from earlier to what had taken place intensified the beat within his chest.

He stared from place to place, sitting upright in his bed, after shutting his blinds and curtains. He decided to lift his phone and open his messages to Shikamaru. He simply stared at the screen for a while wondering if the boy was awake. He wondered if he should message the Nara. It felt useless. Suddenly, he saw that the boy was typing.

_‘You okay?’_

Neji wasted no time typing his response. His fingers glided across the screen from letter to letter, quickly producing the entire event on screen in the form of words. After sending it, he began to type again. He was horrified. Being seconds from death at the hands of someone who seemed to hold infinite power over himself had shaken him to the core. He never wanted it to happen again. Slowly, the story began to shift from events to questioning Shikamaru as being the cause of the home invasion. Neji had to turn off his phone screen and survey the room again to allow the Nara some time to respond. He was impatient and on edge. He opened his phone to see that Nara was still typing out his message. The Hyuga regretted his word choice. It was no more the Nara’s fault than his own based off of what Shikamaru had told him earlier.

_‘…’_

That was all the Nara had to say. Neji stared at the screen as his thumb hovered over the typing box. He began to conjure up a new message when Shikamaru began typing again. Neji sat back against the bed’s headboard as he waited.

_‘I don’t know where the fuck my dad is. I have a feeling that he’s the reason behind all of this. I don’t know why they came after you. I never gave them your name or information. They’ve only seen you once on that night you showed up out of nowhere. Other than that, I have no idea why they have tabs on you and your address. Are you safe now?’_

Neji doubted that he was safe. Just because the men were gone didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be back. He seemed to be getting punished for another’s actions. In this case however, it sounds as if his father is to blame. He would have to go to him, _‘They are gone. They know the security code to the house, so we will have to reset it.’_

 _‘Don’t report it to police,’_ Shikamaru repeated.

Neji was sick of the command. It only meant that they had no hope in their current situation.

_‘I’ve doubted that these guys actually want blood shed for years. If they wanted me or my dad dead, then we’d be dead, but they’re all talk. I haven’t seen them do anything other than make a day a real drag.’_

Neji’s fingers flew across his keyboard at that, _‘They grabbed me hard enough to bruise I am sure.’_ The Hyuga watched as Shikamaru started and stopped typing on and off.

_‘Do you have a weapon?’_

The question only served to further panic the Hyuga. He needed a weapon now according to the one who knew more of their attackers than he did, _‘A kitchen knife.’_

_‘Me too.’_

Neji scoffed at that before looking around the room again. He was surprised to see an incoming call screen appear. It was Shikamaru. Neji answered it with little hesitation.

“Hello?” It was the first time in their four years of talking that they’ve ever conversed over a phone call.

“Why are you whispering? Are they still there?” Shikamaru asked through a yawn.

“No, well I cannot see them. I’m in my room,” Neji answered as he watched his windows through now nearly bloodshot eyes.

“It’s rare that they confront me like that. I’m pretty sure you can relax now, though.”

“What happened the night I found you?” Neji questioned quietly.

“They just questioned and threatened me over shit I knew nothing about. They didn’t hurt me or anything.”

Neji did not respond. His eyes fell to his comforter as he relived the scene in the lower floor. He heard the ruffling of sheets on the other end of the phone.

“Neji?”

“Yes?”

“It’s three in the morning,” the Nara informed. Neji supposed it was a ridiculous time to be awake messaging someone, let alone holding a phone call. “Go to sleep. We can keep the call going if you want, but you should sleep. Don’t you have a club meeting tomorrow?”

That was not where the Hyuga thought the Nara was going with it, but Shikamaru was right. Neji placed the phone next to him as he lied down. He watched as the time of their call continued to count itself. “You are right,” Neji thought aloud, “I do have a club meeting tomorrow. How do you know that?” The two might have been sleeping together, but they never held too many friendly conversations with one another, certainly not enough to know each other’s schedule.

There was silence on the other end. Neji knew the Nara was not asleep; he had just spoken.

“Nara.”

“Yeah?”

“How do you know my schedule?”

“Sometimes I stay after school with friends and I see you picking up trash from the campus grounds,” Shikamaru explained finally.

Neji thought it over. “I see.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Neji!” His father called with a loud knock to the bedroom door. Neji shook violently from his sleep. “Do not make me wait much longer! I have a meeting this morning at the same time as your club gathering, I’m taking you to school!”

Neji looked to his phone and repeatedly tried turning it on to check the time only to find that it had died from last night’s phone call. He rolled over to look at the clock beside his bed. By now, he would have been showered, dressed, and heading through the door. He looked to his desk that held his unfinished schoolwork. He jumped from his bed and rummaged through his closet for something to wear. He had fallen asleep in his clothes from yesterday unintentionally. He rushed to his bathroom for his toothbrush and began brushing as he threw his items into his school bag by threes and selected the first outfit that met the eye. He ran to the sink and spat the toothpaste before rinsing his mouth off with a handful of water. He settled on a sweatshirt with matching sweatpants. He then tossed his school bag over his shoulder and rushed to the front door with his shoes in hand.

Hiashi watched the boy from where he impatiently sat in the driveway. He wondered what the reason behind Neji’s oddly frantic display was as his son climbed into the car. Neji stuffed his bag down to the car floor before slipping his white sneakers on, double tying the laces of either one. He then opened the car mirror and raked his fingers through his messy hair. Hiashi looked away and put the car in drive.

“Fasten your seatbelt,” he ordered.

Neji did as told before focusing back on his disheveled hair.

“Did you not sleep last night?” Hiashi questioned, though it sounded as though he was suggesting that Neji was in the wrong.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Work,” Neij lied as he tied his hair back into a low messy bun. He closed the mirror and sat back in his seat. He reached into his bag for said work and began rushing through it as the man drove. Truthfully, both meetings weren’t for another hour or so, but Hiashi planned on stopping for breakfast on the way to work. The man followed a strict schedule in doing so. Hiashi glanced to the boy before keeping his eyes to the road.

. . .

Hiashi watched the boy alternate between sipping from a white mug and solving math problems. He had been studying Neji for minutes. It was still early, so the diner was relatively empty.

“I’ll be back,” the man said before leaving for the restroom. Neji nodded in response as he punched numbers into his calculator. He then remembered his phone’s dead battery and looked through his bag for a charger. He didn’t remember packing one, but luckily, he found the wire and hooked it up to the outlet built into the table and watched the screen light up. He took another sip of the caffeinated beverage before missed messages appeared. Some were from an unknown number, some were from Shikamaru. Neji’s eyes rounded in fear as he looked around. He lifted the device nearly ripping the charger from its outlet. He slapped his hand against the charging block to keep it from disconnecting as he scrolled through his messages.

_‘Neji.’_

_‘Did you get the message?’_

_‘They’re telling me I have a new partner in crime or something, I don’t know. Pick up.’_

_‘Are you okay?’_

_‘Where are you?’_

_‘You coming to school today?’_

_‘They’re following me again.’_

_‘Do you need a ride?’_

_‘Did you get a weird message from the number?’ Delivered by Shikamaru Nara._

Neji covered his mouth with a single hand as he looked through the messages from the unknown number.

_‘Welcome to the company. First, we will test your loyalty. Complete the task by midnight, and we will make sure no harm comes to anyone close to you. Vandalize school property. Small pencil markings on the bathroom stall will not count. It must be noticeable from one side of the campus to the other. Fail to do so in the allotted time, expect something bad to follow consequently,’ delivered by unknown number._

Neji screen shot the message and sent it to the Nara. The image was seen by Shikamaru almost immediately, but Hiashi had approached the table making Neji lock his phone and set it down. He got back to work as his foot bobbed up and down nervously. He thought of what he could vandalize when and how. He rested his head against a tense hand and gazed at the numbers wearily. There was a knot in his stomach all over again, and he didn’t know what to do.

Hiashi removed his laptop from its bag and equipped his reading glasses. As the computer fired up, he looked back to the boy who seemed worse off now than before he left for the restroom.

“Neji.”

His son looked up to him and rested his chin against his wrist. His eyes told of how something was nearing him to the brink of instability. He seemed to be biting his tongue on some sort of inner conflict.

“What’s going on?” Hiashi lowered his laptop screen and bared his arms against the table after removing his glasses. He narrowed his eyes at the boy, telling Neji that lying would be no good.

“Nothing,” Neji said quietly before looking back to his paper.

“Clearly you are stressed beyond the point of coping.”

“I am fine,” Neji assured.

Hiashi studied the boy a bit longer before opening his computer screen. He logged into his work account, still refusing to dismiss the oddity in Neji’s aura. Said boy glanced to his father to be sure the man’s intense attention had fully shifted before picking his phone back up.

_‘They gave me the same message,’ Shikamaru._

Neji began to type, _‘What do we do?’_

_‘What they tell us to. I’ll get spray paint and we’ll go later. Make up some reason to go out tonight,’ delivered by Shikamaru._

Neji stifled an uneasy sigh before lowering his phone. He looked to Hiashi who still watched his laptop. The words on the screen reflected in his reading lenses. The boy was relieved to not be the center of the man’s attention because he was sure he had revealed that whatever he was panicked over was on his phone. He looked back to his half-finished homework knowing that he couldn’t hope to finish it with the newest concern swimming around in his mind.

“Do you want to go to school today?” Hiashi questioned suddenly though he still read through his virtual files.

“Excuse me?” Neji asked, foot stilling from its constant bobbing.

“I think you need some time off. I will take you back home, so you can have today and the rest of the weekend off,” Hiashi knew of his son’s busy school life and took his lack of sleep and restlessness as being a result of school’s pressures.

Neji searched the table. He didn’t know how to take the offer because his father had always refused to allow him or his sisters to stay home even if they were sick. It was unexpected, but he supposed he wouldn’t be able to focus today anyways. Still, he did not wish to be home alone after what took place last night. He watched as the man put his laptop away and waved for the waiter.

“Wait,” Neji said. Hiashi looked to him. “I will go to school.”

“You’re going home.”

“No,” Neji said in a hurried manner. Hiashi arched a brow at that. Neji had sounded a bit more desperate than he would have wished. “I need to go to school. I have two tests today.”

Hiashi lowered his arm and looked to his son sternly. He seemed suspicious of Neji.

“I have worked hard to memorize the material. I would like to get it over with,” the boy explained.

Hiashi said nothing. He simply watched Neji for a moment more before reapplying his reading glasses and retrieving his laptop from its bag. Neji relaxed a bit more.

“Would you like to order anything to take as your lunch? I doubt you had time to pack anything seeing that you woke up later than usual,” the man offered as he typed.

“I can eat school lunch,” Neji declined.

“If you wish to leave school early, message me,” Hiashi ordered.

“Thank you,” Neji said politely before lifting his phone again. That time, his father looked to him as his son read through whatever was on screen.

_‘Just tell him there’s a party or something,’ Shikamaru._

_‘I do not think he would let me go even if there were truly a party,’ Neji._

_‘Just try it,’ Shikamaru._

Neji lowered his phone and looked back to his assignment as he gathered the courage to make up the lie. He twirled his pencil between his fingers as he sat up straight, “Father,” he began.

Hiashi’s eyes were enough to make the boy pause in his attempt. Neji looked to him once before looking down.

“There is a party tonight…”

“I will drive you,” Hiashi said before getting right back to his work.

The response shocked Neji.

“Whose party is it?” Hiashi asked.

“One of the players from the football team,” Neji lied.

“Who?”

“I do not know him personally.”

“Aren’t you friends with three football players?”

“Yes, but I do not speak with the other teammates.”

Hiashi glared into what felt to be Neji’s soul. Neji closed his eyes and tried to erase any signs of nervousness from his appearance.

“What time?” The man questioned.

“It does not have a specific starting time.”

“What time, Neji?”

“Nine,” the boy made up.

“Who will be there?”

“I’m unsure. It is a high school party.”

Hiashi took at as Neji getting smart with him and his expression showed that, further unnerving the boy right across from him.

“Will you have a ride home?”

“Yes.”

Hiashi slowly lowered his laptop screen giving Neji his undivided attention. He stared to the boy as a long breath escaped him.

“No drugs…”

“Father…”

“No sex, no alcohol…”

“I know,” Neji swore.

“Do not leave that house…”

“I will not,” his son promised.

“Do not let people pressure you into doing ridiculous things.”

“Of course,” Neji nodded.

“I know you’re a boy, but never leave your drink unattended,” Hiashi warned.

Neji simply looked to the man who sat back and reopened his computer.

“I know everything I’m telling you is elementary, but kids are dangerous animals and inexperienced in life. I am promising you that at least one thing will go wrong at that party whether it be a broken condom or a broken bone from an alcohol related accident. I am only doing my job as a parent to prevent that from happening to you,” his father explained.

Neji nodded as his eyes stuck themselves to his work.

“You know I tell you this because I care for your safety, right?”

Neji nodded again.

“Right?” Hiashi repeated.

“Yes, sir,” his son corrected.

“Alright. I will drop you off tonight and trust you to make wise decisions.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now let’s go, I don’t want you to be late.”

. . .

“Great, so now we have to make up a party,” Shikamaru sighed. The two met in the bathroom shortly after Neji’s club gathering. They had another hour until school began, so they used it to lay everything out.

“You told me to use the excuse. I did not think about him wanting to drop me off,” Neji defended.

Shikamaru paced slowly in the large bathroom stall, “Okay whatever. You’re friends with the popular rich kids, just pitch the idea. I’m sure at least one of them could make it happen.”

“I cannot just tell them to have a party in their own home for my sake.”

“You can if your sisters’ lives depended on it,” Shikamaru whispered lowly, “Pitch the idea so he has a party to drop you off to. Hide your phone somewhere at the party, and we’ll come to campus later and we’ll finish the job, easy.”

The Nara had a point. Neji nodded in both agreement and defeat. There was no telling what the men would do if they did not follow through with their demands.

“So, just go ask them,” the Nara urged.

Neji thought it over for a minute. The best bet was between Naruto and Kiba. However, he knew Kiba seemed to worry a bit less than the blond over such things. He was more carefree and never preplanned anything before jumping right to it. Because of this, Neji was sure that even after last night’s lecture through the group chat, the boy still failed to show up prepared for the school day.

. . .

He was right, there was no bookbag in sight as Kiba hopped out of the Uchiha’s black Jeep.

“Hey Neji,” the Inuzuka called as he watched the Hyuga approach. He failed to read the male’s nervous mannerisms. Surprisingly, Kiba pulled a single binder and a pencil from the car which was an improvement as opposed to his normal empty handedness.

“We should have a party,” Neji got right to it.

Sasuke walked to their side of the vehicle to get his school and gym bag from the back seat as he listened in.

“What? You? Party?” Kiba was stunned. He then heard a yell come from behind the car. It was Ino who rolled to a stop in her white sedan.

Her window rolled all the way down, “Hey!” She called. “What are we doing tonight? I’m free!”

“Apparently throwing a party!” Kiba called back as he approached the car, “Neji’s feeling adventurous,” he joked.

The girl gasped, “ _No_! Really? Neji, you wanna have a party?” Her smile was wide as she lowered her tea mug to a cup holder.

They all looked to the Hyuga who kept his arms folded. His face screamed of dread. “Not at my house. My father is home.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so? We’ll have it at mine!” Kiba exclaimed.

Ino screamed as she clapped, “Make sure Naruto knows! I’ll see you guys!” She rolled her window up and drove off due to the number of cars lining up behind her.

“We’re having a party, boys!” Kiba yelled hoarsely, throwing an arm around a calm Sasuke and a nerve wracked Neji Hyuga.


	7. Chapter 7

“You okay?” Sakura asked as they took notes. Both she and Neji shared physics third period and his apparel and messy hair did not slip past the girl.

“Yes,” he responded quietly as not to speak over the teacher.

“You don’t look like you slept enough to have a party later tonight. Maybe you should sleep through lunch. You can use my car for a nap if you want,” she offered, leaning in closer in order to hear the male a bit better. Her eyes remained on the screen up front as her hand moved across notebook paper.

“I am fine, thank you.”

“Who all is going in the party?” She questioned.

“Whoever comes.” Both of them knew that Kiba knew a wide variety of people and nothing would stop him from inviting just about anyone who followed him online. Some of the party goers might not even be from their school knowing the Inuzuka.

“A party?” Whispered the boy in front of them. It was Omoi, Karui’s boyfriend since sophomore year, “Can I hang? Wait will there be drugs and stuff?”

“It’s Kiba Inuzuka’s party, do you know him?” The pink haired girl asked.

“Do I know him?” The boy scoffed, “He’s the school’s football star. Even our rival school knows him.”

“Do you follow him?” The girl asked.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. But seriously, will there be drugs and shit, because…” The boy worried as he typically did. They have all been in the same school system for years and Omoi was well known for his impossible concerns.

“Then you should probably get an invite pretty soon. He’ll probably just post his address and a time knowing him,” Sakura shook her head.

Neji continued to copy the notes silently as the two conversed about the event that would commence later that night. He was more worried about the card he had been dealt. He would have to lie to his father and commit a crime. Though it was rather mild, it was still against the rules, and they would have to go all out on it or face a consequence that the number would not specify.

“Yup, I was right,” Sakura said as she looked to the post Kiba had made with each detail included in the caption beneath a photo of him in Sasuke’s Jeep. The Inuzuka stuck his tongue out and held up some hand sign in the camera. “Reckless,” the girl said before lowering her phone. As she looked around, it seemed that others were looking to their phones and began whispering over the very matter.

“Alright, since I no longer have your attention, I guess that’s class for the day,” the instructor announced before taking a seat behind his desk. He propped his feet up on the surface and began scrolling through his own phone.

The three began to overhear their peers as they spoke of the party. Some said they would bring something to smoke or drink. Knowing high schoolers, said drinks would not be alcohol free. Still, Neji figured he should show face at the event long enough for someone to say he had in fact been there. A party was just not his scene. He did not see himself having too much of a good time surrounded by immature students who did not know of the weight of their own decisions this early on in life.

“Kiba’s saying his mom is visiting his sister for the weekend. You know Hana’s college is almost five hours away; once she’s gone, she’s gone,” Sakura informed, closing the group chat. “This party is going to be crazy,” she thought aloud almost nervously. “Hey, Neji, I’m going to try out for cheerleading next week, what do you think?”

“Is that what you want?” He asked, knowing that the idea had come from Kiba speaking nonsense about their club participation.

Sakura shrugged before closing her binder, “I just wanna try something different,” she put lightly.

“I think you’d make a great cheerleader,” Omoi commented.

“Thank you!” Sakura said, shyly leaning back in her seat. Neji could tell the girl was a hair away from blushing at the flirtatious boy’s comment. Now it was not hard to believe that Ino was telling the truth when she said it had been Omoi who came on to her.

. . .

Neji followed Shikamaru down the shopping aisle as the Nara looked for a specific soft drink to bring to the party.

“Are you really going?” Neji questioned.

Shikamaru stood from his crouching position, “Aren’t you?”

Neji watched him silently. The Nara continued his search.

“Why are you so calm?” The Hyuga finally questioned.

“It’s just some painting. It’s not like we’re killing someone,” Shikamaru said, lifting two large bottles of colored beverages.

“Have you done this before?”

“I mean, kinda.”

“What do you mean?” Neji asked narrowing his eyes.

Shikamaru spun to look at him. “Why are you so curious about me all of a sudden? Let’s just go get the spray paint and go,” he said, shrugging Neji’s concern away. He continued through the store with Neji trailing behind him. “And yes, I’ve done something like it before when I was a kid.”

Neji had already figured before the boy confirmed his suspicions. They both turned into the art supplies section where the Nara spotted a familiar face.

“Kankuro?” Shikamaru called.

A man, seemingly in his late teens to early twenties lifted his head from the stock to find the Nara approaching him. “Hey,” the young man waved his scanner.

“Didn’t know you worked here,” Shikamaru said, leaning against the stack of boxes.

“Just got the job yesterday.”

“Where are the other two?”

“Temari’s still at the Grill and Fill at the mall,” Kankuro explained as he filled the shelves, “Gaara’s working at some nursery for plants. We told him to get a job that pays more, but he likes it there, so Temari let him have it.”

“I’ll visit them later on,” the Nara promised with a lazy smile. “Where’s the spray paint?”

“Oh, it’s one of those nights, huh?” Kankuro chuckled, removing his uniform hat.

“Something like that,” the Nara grinned.

“Well, towards the end of this aisle on the left. We got neon in just about any color you can imagine.”

“Thanks, man,” Shikamaru slapped his hand against the cardboard box before walking down the rest of the rows of shelves.

He squatted to view each color from the bottom to the top. He then took a couple of steps back to observe the full thing. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his oversized, plaid flannel of a jacket. “What color?”

“Does it matter?” Neji asked impatiently. They were to break a rule on school grounds and the Nara was concerned over its appearance.

Shikamaru looked to the Hyuga with heavy lids before looking back to his options. He placed the bottles of soda under either arm and reached out for a green and a pink can. He tossed the pink to the Hyuga before making his way toward self-checkout. The Nara paid for each item, and Neji began to bag them when he was stopped by Shikamaru’s hand. Neji looked to the boy questioningly.

“We don’t need the bags; we can carry this stuff. Save the planet.” Again, he offered that same lazy smile as before, and Neji couldn’t tell if he was serious about what he had said or not. The Hyuga furrowed his brows before the boy continued through the store’s doors, carrying each item himself. Neji watched him before joining his side. He took hold of one soda bottle and one can of spray paint. Oddly enough the colors of the soft drinks matched the colors of the spray cans.

“Now that we have everything, I guess we should go back to school before lunch is over, huh?” The Nara suggested.

“We should.”

“Wanna get something to eat?” The Nara offered.

“I am fine,” Neji declined before seating himself in the car, shutting the door.

Shikamaru stood outside of his side of the vehicle. He sighed and shut his eyes. Neji’s answer was to be expected. The Nara tossed the items in the back before seating himself in the driver’s seat.

“What time should we leave the party?” Shikamaru asked as he adjusted the air conditioning.

“I told my father to drop me off at nine, so if you are there around that time, I will be ready.”

“Got it,” the Nara nodded, “Nine.”

“Nine.”

“Mhm,” he nodded again. He noticed how Neji avoided looking at him. Shikamaru knew it was odd that the two of them were being pressured into performing a criminal offense given what they used to do together. This was the most they have ever interacted outside of his bedroom, and now that they were speaking regularly, it was harder to be too casual with their original ties in the back of their minds. Shikamaru wanted it to not be weird, but it was. “Alright, well I’m starving.”

“Why did you not get anything while we were in the store?” Neji questioned, finally looking Shikamaru’s way.

The Hyuga’s tone slightly alarmed the Nara, “I just wanted something from the place up the street,” he feigned a sheepish tone, “Sorry.”

Neji looked away grudgingly, “Make it quick.”

. . .

“Take your sister with you,” Hiashi ordered in Neji’s doorway.

The boy paused from stroking a brush through his hair before looking to his father.

“Don’t look at me like that, she’s going,” the man finalized, “I’ll be waiting.” With that, he left his son with a new situation. He would have to slip from Hinata’s attention long enough to abandon the party. The problem was that the girl could be clingy in large crowds. He lowered the brush to his dresser and stared at himself in the mirror.

“Can I go?!” Hanabi exclaimed over the stair railing.

“No!” Her father yelled back from the lower floor.

. . .

The car came to a complete stop in front of the house where countless kids could already be seen performing careless stunts in the front yard. Hiashi narrowed his eyes as he shook his head.

Neji unbuckled his seat belt when his car door locked. He looked to his father.

“No sex, no drugs, no alcohol, no weed, no vaping – yes I know what that is, my coworker told me all about it…”

Neji deadpanned.

“No leaving this house…”

Neji looked through the windshield to see the head lights shining on a group in the yard. He recognized Shikamaru out of the bunch. The Nara was standing, red solo cup in hand, waiting for the Hyuga to meet him before they departed. The boy looked to Neji from afar before averting his attention, acting as if he did not recognize the car and its owner. Hiashi caught a glimpse of the Nara before repeating himself, “No leaving this house!”

“I understand,” Neji replied.

Hiashi sat back in his seat as he exhaled. “I mean it,” he added.

“I understand,” Neji repeated, looking to the man who had just lost his cool.

Hanabi giggled from the backseat.

“If I were you, I’d stop laughing right now, because I just got your progress report,” Hiashi said to the girl as he watched her through the rearview mirror.

“Oh,” she sunk into her seat, regretting joining in on the car ride.

“ _Oh_ ,” Hiashi mocked, “You’re doing your sister’s chores as well as your own for the week.” He then reluctantly unlocked the door and waited for his son to leave. Neji sat for a few more moments before deciding that the man was done keeping him from the party. He was seconds from shutting the door when Hiashi called out, “Watch your drink at all times!”

Neji shut the door and nodded through the window before opening Hinata’s door. The two walked through the grass where a number of cars were parked. He looked at the overly crowded house before turning back to find his father and youngest sister watching for them to enter party central. He looked back to the house dreadfully.

He followed Hinata through the front door and made his way to the nearest window to find that his father began to drive off. He sighed, relieved that the man was gone when he turned to find his sister right underneath him just as he expected.

“I didn’t want to come,” Hinata said.

“I know,” he responded, taking her hand and directing her through the crowd. He looked for someone they might have both known from school, but everywhere he looked he found many unfamiliar faces. He began to wonder where Kiba had met most of them.

“Neji!” Speak of the devil.

He rolled his eyes shut before turning around with the girl in hand.

“I didn’t think you were serious about coming,” Kiba slipped through the people with countless chip bags in hand. “Hey, Hinata,” he greeted softly.

“Hi,” the girl stuttered.

“Where are the girls?” Neji asked.

“The girls? Look around! They’re everywhere! I made sure to invite some from all over the district,” Kiba gloated.

“Ino, Sakura…” Neji listed.

“Oh, _those_ girls. I don’t know – maybe they’re upstairs talking about people or something,” he shrugged. “You wanna go swimming?” Kiba asked the girl to Neji’s right.

“Oh, um. I didn’t bring a bathing suit,” Hinata admitted, still holding Neji’s hand tightly.

“No problem, my sister has extras. I had to lend like five of them to some people already. Come on!” He motioned.

Hinata looked to Neji who supposed it could work. He then reached for Hinata’s miniature bookbag and placed his phone into it, “Do not leave your bag unattended,” he said to the girl.

“Okay,” she nodded before following Kiba, uncertain of how to decline the boy’s offer. Neji watched the girl disappear into the crowd before turning to find the real reason for why he came.

“Hey,” said the Nara who Neji had bumped into upon circling around. The collision knocked the boy’s drink onto his thick plaid jacket. He looked down at the spillage plainly. “Hm.”

“Sorry,” Neji watched as the pink drink trickled down. Luckily, the fabric was dark enough in color for it to not be noticeable. Shikamaru then gave him the cup and removed the article of clothing until he stood in only a black t-shirt.

“It’s fine,” he said, taking his cup back and stuffing the jacket underneath his arm. “Let’s go.” He took another sip from his cup before setting it on the nearest surface and making his way through the crowd.


	8. Chapter 8

The two stood in the back of the science building that was the furthest away from the main street. They had changed clothes before arriving, so the cameras would not give a lead on who the two were.

Neji stared to the blank wall and folded his arms nervously. He took a deep breath wondering how large the artwork had to be just to keep the men away from his doorstep. He heard the shaking of a can to his left followed by the pop of a cap. He looked to Shikamaru who stepped up to the wall without a second thought and began painting the surface. The color drained from Neji’s face seeing how quickly the boy had begun without a word.

The Nara tilted his head from side to side trying to get the view from a different angle. He walked backwards towards Neji who still stood in disbelief. “Where should I take it?” The Nara asked in a whisper. It was hardly audible from underneath his mask. The two had to conceal their identities since the school was peppered with cameras.

Neji rested his forehead against his hand, “Gods,” he shook his head.

Shikamaru looked to him, “Come on, it’s not that bad. They can’t identify us, okay? Keep that hood on and they won’t recognize Neji Hyuga’s _perfect_ mane,” he joked, “Your face is covered and everything.”

“Do you have no integrity?” Neji questioned.

“No, I do. I just know when it’s worth taking these risks,” the Nara said calmly before continuing his artwork. He painted lines before flipping the can in his hand and observing it some more. He felt his phone vibrate and read the incoming message. He motioned for Neji to come over.

The Hyuga approached the boy who presented his cracked screen. The phone was damaged to the point of thin green vertical lines shooting from one end of the screen to the other whenever it was activated. Still, the message from the mystery number could be read.

_‘Get to work, Neji.’_

Neji’s stomach sank at seeing how they were being watched in that very moment. As usual, the Nara continued normally as though nothing was awry about the situation. Neji dreadfully looked from the phone to the boy who continued painting the wall. He looked to the pink can of spray paint that sat just a few steps away from himself then back to the neon green that it would be paired with. He sealed his eyes to collect himself before grabbing the can and neighboring the Nara. He watched as the image presented itself next to him. His eyes rounded in amazement. It was a rather elegant rose but in green. Some of the paint dripped down the wall complimenting the art rather than taking away from it.

“Your turn,” Shikamaru said as he backed away, twirling the can in hand.

Neji stared to the wall, devoid of ideas. He was not as creative as the Nara come to find out. What to paint, what to paint. The Hyuga did not care what the art was; he just wanted it to be noticeable enough to be left alone. He felt Shikamaru step up to his side.

“Just color in the flower I painted. I’m sure it’ll count,” the Nara said.

Neji looked to the green rose petals and nervously shook his can before uncapping it. He stood in front of the illustration for some moments.

“Just press down on the top…”

“I know how spray paint works,” Neji quietly spat. He neared the can to the makeshift canvas before pressing down once. Not too soon after the pink appeared, he released the pressure. He stared at the pink spot.

“Good job, do it again,” though Shikamaru’s tone sounded genuine, Neji couldn’t help but feel as though he were being teased.

The elder looked to the younger who stood, waiting for Neji to finish his half so they could leave. The Hyuga felt at fault for the time that they were spending unnecessarily on such a task that seemed to be rather mundane to the younger, but it was so against Neji’s nature that it was torturing. Neji pressed on the top of the can again, producing more pink. He filled in the first petal.

“Mh, looks good,” Shikamaru said from behind.

Neji ignored him and continued to the next petal, then the next until each one was filled with pink. Of course, there were sections where the pink overpowered the green lines, but overall, it was pleasing to the eye. Neji took no time placing the cap back on and tossing the cans into the dumpster.

“Let’s go,” he ordered quietly.

“Wait,” the Nara urged.

Neji felt as though he had already wasted a good portion of their night. It seemed rather ridiculous for the boy to want to spend more time at the scene of the crime.

“Just look at it,” Shikamaru said. He was as relaxed as ever. He acted as if nothing in the world mattered no matter the situation.

Neji joined his side and looked to the flower they had pieced together before looking back to his partner in crime, “Can we leave?” The question sounded more like a demand. He needed to get back to the party; there was no telling how many calls he had missed from his father. For all he knew, the man could be well on his way to pick him up if he wasn’t already there now.

“Just admit it looks good, and we’ll go,” Shikamaru responded.

“It looks good, now let’s go,” Neji ordered a second time.

Finally, the Nara began to leave the vandalized wall behind, and they started the trek back to the party. They did not drive to the school because they did not wish to be identified by the vehicle.

They walked through campus to get to the main street and stood at a stop light. Shikamaru pressed the button on the streetlight pole and waited for the signal to cross. Cars sped past them. The streets were busier on a Friday night. Everyone was off work and out of school for the weekend and nearby restaurants and shopping centers were filled to the brim.

“You sure you don’t wanna hang at the party for a bit?” Shikamaru asked, watching the lights from across the street. The roads were loaded with cars’ head and rear lights rushing from place to place; the air was polluted by the sounds of their engines and wheels.

“I am sure.”

“What if Hinata doesn’t want to leave?” The Nara questioned.

“I am more than sure she has had her fill since I’ve been gone.”

“Really?” Shikamaru asked doubtfully.

“Yes.”

. . .

“Can we stay a bit longer?” Hinata questioned from where she swam in the pool. Her brother looked down to her from where he stood on the pool side. It was inconvenient that the girl had come out of her shell since he had left her alone, but he would have to cope until she was ready to leave the party.

“Where is my phone?” Neji asked.

“I left my bag with Ino,” the girl replied. From underneath her emerged Kiba through the pool water. He carried the girl on his shoulders as she tried to steady herself. Neji watched the two then observed the suit Kiba had lent her. “You could not give her anything less revealing?”

“Look, it was the last one left, okay?” The Inuzuka responded, brushing his dampened hair from his face. He blew water from his nose and watched as Neji’s heavy glare stuck to him, “I’m sorry, okay?”

Neji spun on his heel and left them in the glowing pool in search of his phone. He entered the house through the glass sliding doors and lost all hope at seeing how the party seemed to have multiplied since they left. Along with the crowd, the contraband seemed to have expanded as well. It was louder due to the party being alive for some hours; people broke the ice and had become bold from things such as liquor or smoking to illude their senses. Neji only wished to leave, so he could tend to the assignments he failed to get through that morning. He picked up on fake laughter from afar, pinpointing where Ino might have been. He weaved through the people in its direction and successfully located the girl sitting with Sasuke and Sakura. The Uchiha sat in the middle of the two girls, paying no mind to their banter. He seemed to be staring off into the direction from which another familiar, more boisterous and raspy voice erupted.

“Ino,” Neji spoke up. She did not hear him over the speaker that neighbored them, “Ino!”

“What?!”

“Where is Hinata’s bag?!”

“What?!” She leaned closer to him.

“Hinata’s bag!”

“Yeah!”

“Where is it?!”

Ino checked her right then her left before standing to check beneath her, “I don’t know!”

He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He would have to wait for the party to clear up before he would ever locate his device. He looked away and spotted TenTen speaking to other softball players. He decided to try her next. He began walking when he heard a loud crash from the dining room which put an end to each conversation that overlapped one another. Everyone peered into the room to find that someone had jumped onto the surface before pouring beer all over his bare chest. He shouted like a barbarian as the people around him cheered. Neji took everyone’s stillness as an opportunity to move more easily through the crowd.

“TenTen.”

“Hey, Neji,” she said turning with one hand holding her cup as the other sat comfortably in her back pocket.

“Have you seen a small lilac bag with two straps?” He asked.

“No, is it yours?”

“It belongs to Hinata, but I left my phone in it,” Neji explained.

She shrugged, “I don’t know, man. Check Kiba’s sister’s old room. It’s where everyone leaves the stuff they don’t want to carry.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled with a nod before turning back to the group of girls.

He then made his way to the breath-taking staircase and walked upwards, around a couple that made themselves comfortable in the center of the steps. He walked through the hall of walls that vibrated from the sound of the music on the lower floor. It was darker and held what seemed to be countless doors. He looked for clues of what could be Hana Inuzuka’s room before realizing that each door was identical in every way possible. He would have to play the guessing game.

At first, he tried knocking against the doors and listening for a response, but it was impossible to hear over the music. He opened the first door of the hall to find someone passed out on the bed. The room was even darker than the hall, and the person had a bottle in hand that was slipping from his fingers. Neji crept past him and surveyed the room for items people may have abandoned. He searched in vain before heading towards the door. He then paused and looked back to the guy sprawled out on the bed’s comforter. He sighed and approached the boy, feeling for a pulse. Once he found one of a steady rhythm, he left the boy to rest and shut the door behind him in pursuit of the next room.

He slowly opened it before noticing tile floors and dismissed it as the bathroom. He shut the door and moved to the next one. He walked in to yet another dark bedroom to see Karui and Omoi fighting over something he knew he had no business knowing.

“Hi, hello, can I help you?” Karui asked.

“Karui, he was just…” Omoi began.

“Shut up. What, Neji?” The girl interrupted.

Neji shook his head before leaving the two to sort things out. He felt the handle of the next door and found it to be locked. He was relieved to be able to skip the door only to be weary of the one after that. He pressed his ear against the door though he knew he wouldn’t be able to hear the other side. He took a deep breath before opening the door. His eyes were barely a sliver opened as he proceeded. When he heard nothing, he fully opened them to find Shikamaru, Darui, Shino Aburame, and another larger boy by the name of Choji Akimichi. With them was a blond girl who Neji recognized as last year’s drop out, Temari. The room wreaked of cannabis.

“Want some?” Shikamaru proposed with a straight face. Everyone else in the room laughed knowing Neji’s rather popular personality.

Neji rolled his eyes turning to leave when he was stopped again.

“You looking for this?” The Nara raised the very bag Neji had been searching for. “I remember seeing your sister with it and found it in the bathroom, so I figured why not take it and see what’s inside? Tell Hinata I said thanks for the cash,” he said tossing the bag to Neji who nearly failed to catch it.

“You took her money?” Neji asked through a hiss.

“No, I was joking.”

Neji still checked to make sure he could trust the boy. Sure enough, all of her money and items were still in the bag as he had left her. He then sped from the room hoping the smell did not cling to him too strongly. He sniffed his shirt and much to his dismay, a good bit of it seeped into the fabric. He removed his phone from the small pouch to find a surprising three missed calls. One of which came from Sakura Haruno. She must have been looking for him when he left without a word. The other two were from his father and were oddly small in number considering how long he had been away.

The Hyuga made his way down the steps and into the yard to make a clear call.

“Neji,” his father answered right away, “Why didn’t you pick up? I’m trying to give you more freedom, but you’re making it impossible.”

“I apologize. The music was too loud for me to hear the ringer.”

“Well, I don’t hear any music,” the man commented.

“I am outside now.”

“Oh, okay well when I’m done with this project, I’m coming to get you. Make sure your sister is with you.”

“Yes, sir.” Neji listened as the call ended before he lowered his phone into his own pocket. Before Hiashi hung up, Neji detected the sound of car keys, telling him that the man would be heading out shortly, so he went back inside to find Hinata.

He found her sandwiched between both Kiba and Naruto. He could see the triangular tension between the three seeping from where they sat in the jacuzzi.

“Hinata, Dad is on his way.”

She seemed disappointed. He was surprised the girl was enjoying the party. She was more of a party goer than himself which is something he would have never guessed. Still, they needed to be ready to go for when their father arrived. Just this morning the man had insinuated that the two could ride home with a trusted friend, but Neji missing both of his calls lost them that privilege. Kiba followed the girl from the jacuzzi while Naruto remained and rested his eyes, taking advantage of the free space.

“I’m definitely doing this again next week,” Kiba said as he approached the two, dripping wet.

“Can we come?” Hinata beamed to her brother who was a hair away from scowling at the idea. He knew that he would be forced to come along as supervision just as Hinata had been that night.

“We will see,” he responded.

“Oh, come on, man. Let her live,” Kiba added.

Neji ignored him as he accompanied his sister through the house constructed of walls that seemed to move along to the beat of the thunderous stereos.


	9. Chapter 9

Neji sat at his desk as he worked. His phone began to buzz with messages which was usually a sign that the others in the group chat have woken up for the day. The messages usually began a couple hours after he, himself, had already risen and had breakfast. He opened his phone just for the sake of looking away from his essay.

_‘I’m so fucked,’ Kiba._

_‘Told you,’ Sakura._

_‘Shut up and come help I’ll pay you,’ Kiba._

_‘With what money?’ Ino._

_‘I have some, just help please,’ Kiba._

_‘No,’ Sasuke._

_‘How much money?’ Ino._

_‘Fifty?’ Kiba._

_‘Good luck cleaning on your own,’ Ino._

_‘I’ll help,’ Naruto._

_‘Thanks Naruto. Fuck you guys. I hope you enjoyed the fucking party,’ Kiba._

_‘Oh so now you’re guilt tripping,’ Sakura._

_‘Sakura come over I need to talk to you,’ Ino._

_‘I’m working,’ Sakura._

_‘You’re always working, make time for me. See you in two hours,’ Ino._

_‘Fine,’ Sakura._

_‘So you don’t have time to help clean but you have time to talk shit?’ Kiba._

_‘Shut the fuck up,’ Ino._

_‘Fuck you,’ Kiba._

Neji supposed he should help since it was his idea in the first place. Kiba’s party gave Neji a good false alibi last night. He closed the laptop and exited his room making his way down the steps and into his father’s office.

Hiashi looked up from his desk, “Yes?”

“Kiba needs help cleaning, can I go?” Neji asked, keys already in hand.

“Yes. Keep me updated.”

Neji began to shut the door before his father called for him.

“Neji, if anything strange was going on, you would tell me, right?” Hiashi asked slowly.

Neji considered this as being the chance for him to speak up about the night. He knew his every move was being watched, but he didn’t know if he would be in the wrong to speak to the man over the matter. Seeing as the predicament was in fact over something involving his father, it seemed safe to at least ask a few questions. Neji stepped fully into the office, shutting the French doors behind himself.

“What is it that you do for work again?” Neji asked.

“You already know this. I work on contracts for aircraft. I make sure everyone follows through with everything they’ve signed their names to,” Hiashi explained.

Neji nodded.

“Why? Is someone asking?”

“No, sir,” Neji denied.

“Well, go help your friend. Take my car. Whatever you do out there, be safe. Just be back by evening,” Hiashi dismissed.

“I will,” Neji began to retreat. He placed his hand on the doorknob before pausing.

“Yes?” Hiashi questioned.

“Have you ever done anything illegal?” Neji asked suddenly.

“Gods, what did you do at the party?” The man lowered his glasses and focused a grave stare on his son.

“Nothing. There was conversation at the party about other kids’ parents and their illegal activities when they were younger,” Neji lied, keeping his eyes from his father’s

“I see,” Hiashi settled back down, “Well, I have definitely done things in the past that I’m not proud of, but never illegal. I was young once, but I was not foolish.” He watched the boy carefully. They shared some moments of silence before the man lowered his computer screen and leaned forward as if he were going to dive into a profound subject. Noticing this, Neji turned to leave.

“Neji.”

He stopped in his tracks again.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Neji answered with his back turned. “I simply have a lot to do.”

“I will give you three vacation days. Use them wisely,” the man said.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Neji listened around for the man to continue typing and once he heard the clicks, he took it as his dismissal and removed himself from the suffocating room.

. . .

“Thanks for showing up,” Kiba said as he tossed cans into a large, black garbage bag. “Just crazy that your weird friend showed up before Sakura and Ino,” he pointed out as he scratched his head.

Neji looked around to find Shikamaru leaning against the wall scrolling through his phone. The Nara’s brows shot up in consideration before admitting he was a bit weird with a tilt of his head.

“Hey, uh,” the Inuzuka began before whispering to Neji, “What’s his name?”

“Sh…”

“Shikamaru, thanks for coming man,” Kiba smiled.

The Nara held up a hand in response.

“Nice guy. Anyways, I’m gonna go upstairs and make sure no one fucked in my mom’s room,” the hound of a boy said before stepping over bottles and wrappers with his large white dog following after him enthusiastically.

The scene was completely different with sun light pouring through the elongated windows and sheer white curtains. It was quiet and would be rather peaceful with the absence of loud music if it weren’t such a mess. Neji tossed a paper plate into the garbage bag to get started.

“Hey,” Shikamaru called before stepping to the Hyuga.

“What?” Neji asked.

The Nara fished through the bag, removing the paper plate, “Cans and anything aluminum go in there. I’m taking them to Senju Park to recycle them. Paper’s over there with the sticky note that says paper,” he pointed.

“Organizing the mess would take longer,” Neji deadpanned.

“So would the restoration of the ocean’s wildlife if we keep tossing shit their way,” Shikamaru shrugged before tossing the plate in the appropriate bag.

“Are you serious?” Neji asked as he stood up straight.

Shikamaru turned to face him slowly as he planted his hands in the pockets of his black and red drug rug. Now that Neji looked at the boy, his apparel did say things about his personality. He was lazy, carefree and environmentally aware not to mention he smoked cannabis and probably thought up his own conspiracy theories. He was weird. Of course, he would have never noticed too much about the boy’s character given the past even if the one they shared stretched over three years.

Neji side eyed him waiting for the boy to crack a smile or laugh, anything to tell Neji that he had been joking though the longer he looked to the Nara, the more he doubted that it had been a joke.

Shikamaru pointed to the bag labeled aluminum, “Cans,” then pointed to the bag labeled paper, “Cardboard and plates,” he said one last time. He placed his hands back into the pocket of his top and watched Neji to see if he understood.

“Ridiculous,” neji murmured before following along with the Nara’s demands.

To that, Shikamaru grinned, “Thank you, Neji,” he said as if he were a child thanking his mother for pouring him a glass of lemonade.

“Shikamaru, where’s the bag for glass?” Called Naruto Uzumaki who stepped through the sliding glass doors that opened up to the back yard.

“Kitchen.”

“Thanks!” The Uzumaki cheered as he tailed off, followed by Sasuke who had just refused to aid the Inuzuka in restoring his house to its previous state only hours ago.

“Poor guy,” Shikamaru said.

“What?” Neji asked over his shoulder. He watched as Shikamaru looked to the two that walked towards the kitchen with glass bottles in hand. Shikamaru shook his head before sitting on the ground and pulling out his phone. “Are you not going to help?” Neji questioned.

“Yeah, yeah. Just give me a few,” the Nara responded before lying against the cherry wooden floors. He shut his eyes and looked as though he could fall fast asleep. “Kiba!” He shouted with the rest of his strength.

“What?!” Came the response muffled by the distance.

“Can I use the speakers?!”

Gods no.

“Yeah!” The Inuzuka allowed.

“Yes,” Shikamaru whispered before lifting himself from the ground

“Shikamaru…” Neji began.

“I’m not gonna blast it, I just need something to work to.”

Neji sighed before bending back over to collect the trash from the ground. He sorted the items according to category and threw away things that were beyond reusable. That was when he heard the sound of a certain type of percussion paired with an electric bass that were both slowly added to the sound of other various instruments until it all flowed into the sound of reggae. Neji furrowed his brows and turned to face Shikamaru who swayed before the speaker as he scrolled through his phone.

“Nara.”

Shikamaru turned to look to the Hyuga from across the room.

“Help.”

“Alright,” the Nara surrendered as he neared Neji. Once he reached his side however, he did not lift a single thing.

“Shikamaru,” Neji dropped the Styrofoam from his hands. He looked to the boy who began swaying all over again. The Nara moved with his eyes closed. He peeked through one eye to catch Neji’s displeasure before grinning.

“Are you high?” Neji asked.

Shikamaru shook his head.

“Help,” Neji ordered again.

The younger stilled and looked to the Hyuga with a humorous look on his face.

“What?” The stare made Neji uneasy.

The younger shook his head and began arranging the garbage into groups on the ground.

“Why not toss them in as you go?” Neji questioned.

“I just wanna organize them so we can dump them in by the masses,” Shikamaru said. “Relax.”

“I’ll relax once you are done relaxing enough for everyone in this house combined,” Neji shot back as he worked. His words earned a chuckle from the Nara. The Hyuga rolled his eyes before removing himself from the room. He entered the kitchen that held a number of unfinished slices of pizza and large bowls of chips and cheese snacks. He caught Naruto rambling about some story from his childhood. Sasuke stared at the Uzumaki like he stared at everything else. His face was unmoving, and his eyes were as cold as ice. However, unlike other things, his attention remained fixed on the Uzumaki who would hop from subject to subject. The blond boy had ADHD which would sometimes show through discussion, but Sasuke seemed to follow along with ease though he did not speak.

“Did you finish the glass?” Neji questioned from the doorway.

“Oh, yeah,” Naruto answered for the both of them, “We got everything that we saw at least from top to bottom. We were taking a break honestly,” he laughed nervously, “We’ll get back on it. Did Hinata come?”

Neji did not know why the boy was asking for the girl after speaking so carelessly of her being his last option to ask to the school dance, “No,” the Hyuga answered curtly before leaving the two alone. Upon entering the living room, he immediately noticed neatly organized groups of paper and aluminum with a plastic group in the making.

“See? Now, all we gotta do is grab a handful and toss them in the bags,” Shikamaru stood from where he was seated on the ground, wiping his hands down his shirt. He then looked to Neji with a lazy yet prideful smile.

. . .

“You know, I still don’t know where my dad is,” Shikamaru admitted from the passenger seat. Neji had insisted on driving the Nara due to being under the impression that the boy was not in his right mind. “You wanna go to the mall or something?”

“I’m taking you home,” Neji stated as he turned on the blinker.

“I live with Darui, remember?”

“Still?”

Shikamaru nodded as he slouched in the seat to the point of his seatbelt no longer serving its purpose.

“Sit up.”

Shikamaru did as told.

“Why did you lie about being high?” Neji asked.

“I’m not high, I’m just tired. I don’t smoke in the morning,” he said, rolling down the window. “Can you drop me off at the mall?”

“Who will get you later?”

Shikamaru rolled his head over to look at Neji.

“Make sure you have a ride. I have work to do.”

“Okay,” Shikamaru sighed. He went silent as he sorted through his options, “Can yo...”

“No,” Neji thought he made himself clear.

“Please?”

The Hyuga grew tired of what he perceived to be childish behavior. “No. If I am the only ride you have, then I’m taking you to Darui’s house.”

The boy had nothing to say to that, so that is what Neji decided to do.

. . .

They sat in Darui’s driveway silently.

“We’re here,” Neji alerted though the boy to his right should have known already.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru said, but he did not move.

“Get out,” The elder ordered.

The Nara locked his phone and looked to the house through the car window.

“What is wrong?” Neji questioned.

The younger slouched in the seat, “One of the guys is on the porch,” he said casually before scrolling through his phone some more.

“What?!” Neji exclaimed, putting the car into reverse.

“One of the guys is on the porch.”

“You are not funny,” Neji commented as they drove off. He looked through his own window to see that there was in fact a suited man sitting in a lawn chair on Darui’s porch. The man did not blend in with his surroundings and it sent chills through Neji’s spine.

“How about the mall?” Shikamaru tried a second time.


	10. Chapter 10

“Thanks,” Shikamaru said as he grabbed the white grease-stained paper bag from the counter. The two found a two-seater in the food court and sat together. Neji looked to his phone to check for anything from his father and found a single message delivered ten minutes ago.

_‘Pulse check,’ Dad._

Neji responded in just a few taps before lowering his phone and looking to the Nara who watched the crowd as he ate the fries he had just ordered.

“Want some?” He offered the bag to Neji.

“Shikamaru, are we safe?” The Hyuga asked.

The Nara visibly slouched in his chair and rolled the bag’s opening shut.

“Shikamaru?”

“I don’t know, okay? I honestly have no clue.”

“Shikamaru,” Neji nearly moaned in despair.

“All I know is that there’s no way out of it, so we have to just deal with it.”

“Do we?”

The younger leaned against the table to get closer to the elder. He stared him dead in his eyes as he spoke, “Look, I’ve already tried police. The minute they arrived they dismissed my case. I was ten when I reported the guys who kept watching me and sending me weird stuff through text. They pretty much ignored everything I told them and left. The next day, even more guys started following me around. That was when I decided to go live with my mom in another city, but it still happened.”

There was truly no way of escaping whatever their fathers had thrown them into. Neji’s back straightened as he looked around from person to person, suspecting them all of watching the two as they spoke.

“Long as we do what they say, we’ll be fine,” the Nara said. He played with the paper bag trying to avoid being pessimistic about it all.

Neji’s head snapped back to the boy, “What do you mean?”

“Whatever they tell us to do, we do it.”

“I thought we were done.”

Shikamaru shook his head, “Did you not get a message last night?”

“No,” Neji said, looking to his phone, “You did?”

Shikamaru’s head fell against the table. He sighed, reaching into his pocket and handing the male his phone. Neji read over the message.

_‘Travel to Sunagakure City and steal something expensive.’_

“Expensive?” Neji questioned.

“I know,” the Nara muffled through the sleeve of his jacket, “I can’t do it either, I need a ride.”

“What is wrong with your car?”

“Didn’t start this morning. I got a ride to Kiba’s from Darui and I know he’s not driving me eight hours west so I can steal stuff,” Shikamaru explained, “And I wouldn’t ask you to do it. My dad is still missing, so I don’t know what to do. That’s why I was pushing the mall earlier; I didn’t really wanna head to the house.”

“When do you have to do this?”

“By the end of next week. At least they’re giving me time to freak out before they kill me.”

Neji wished the boy would not speak so heavily. Before, the Nara’s constant optimism irked him. Now, he only wanted it back.

“I would go with you, but I would not be allowed to leave my studies for so long.”

“Yeah, I know,” Shikamaru sighed, propping his cheek against his hand. He opened the bag of fries and continued eating them as Neji tried to think of ways to save him.

. . .

Sakura finished the routine in a high kick before planting her hands on her hips. “Stop the music,” she panted through a prideful smile.

Neji paused the song, “You did well,” he said.

“Thank you! I think I have the routine down. I just have to try out Wednesday. I’m sure I’ll get the position,” though she said it unconfidently. “Are you okay? You look concerned or sort of preoccupied,” the girl commented as she approached the male.

“I am fine.”

“Oh, well,” she shrugged, “Okay. Can you believe Kiba’s really hosting another party next week?” Neji could believe it. “Who’s to say he’ll have help cleaning next time around?”

“Ridiculous,” Neji responded.

“I know! I mean, I would help with the next clean up. I should’ve helped with the one from today honestly,” she shyly admitted, “but I really had to get this routine down. Truthfully, two girls walked out on the cheer team and now they need replacements before the cheer competition in Sunagakure on Friday. Ino was probably working them too hard.”

Neji’s eyes rounded. “Sunagakure?”

“Yeah, it’s like an eight hour drive out west. The cheer team is desperate for numbers. I heard they’re just about taking anyone this late in the game. The routine that we have to perform for try-outs is actually the one they’ve been practicing for months. I’m guessing they’re giving the two new members decorative background roles, but still! I think it would be something new,” she smiled. She looked to the male who had chimed out as soon as she mentioned the city. “Neji?”

. . .

“And then you just wanna step to the side. This part in the song is when we both step away from each other and clap, but make sure you don’t release your hands too early. Posture is key in presentation. I know I’m new to this, but just trust me,” Sakura taught as Shikamaru followed along.

He looked to Neji who averted his eyes being the one responsible for the Nara’s new situation.

“We’re going to be on either side of their pyramid more so in the background since we’re coming in last minute. So step, clap, step, clap, kick – when you kick, you want to spread out your arms and rotate your wrists enough to bring attention to the pompoms – then that’s when we switch sides in a skip and we repeat the same choreography until the main cheer team is done, got it?” Sakura smiled.

They practiced for hours and hours and in the end, the result was far ahead of what it needed to be on that given day. They had another four to five days until they had to present the final result and they were well on their way to adding the finishing touches and perfecting the routine.

“Wow, you got it way quicker than I did,” Sakura acknowledged almost painfully, “Same time tomorrow?”

Shikamaru nodded as he drank the bottled water Neji had gotten them as they practiced.

The girl waved before exiting the studio door.

The Nara swallowed the water, “I hate this.”

“Now you have a way to get to Sunagakure,” Neji added.

“I still hate this.”

“You’re welcome,” Neji said before checking his watch, “I have to be home in half an hour,” He watched the Nara move away from the mirrored wall hesitantly.

. . .

Once they arrived to Darui’s driveway, the man was gone and there sat another one. Luckily, he was someone Shikamaru recognized right off, “Bee,” he said in relief.

“You know him?” Neji questioned.

“Yeah, it’s cool,” the Nara said as he unbuckled the safety belt and grabbed the car door handle. He paused, “Thanks, Neji.” He then stepped out of the vehicle and shut the door, dimming the lights within the car.

The sun was setting quicker than the Hyuga cared for it to, given his curfew. He put the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway, making sure Shikamaru made it inside.

. . .

Neji opened the door to find his youngest sister yelling loudly.

“Hanabi, quiet!” Hiashi exclaimed from his office.

“Sorry!” She girl yelled though she could hardly hear through her thick headphones she used whenever she gamed on the large screen of the living room.

“Neji?” Hiashi called at hearing the front door open and close. Said boy entered his father’s study just to present himself before he shut everyone out to work for the night. Hiashi lowered a paper document to peer at his son, “What all did you do today? The tracker told me you traveled all throughout the district.”

“I helped Kiba clean, then took a friend to his friend’s house before going to the mall.”

“You look empty handed to have come from the mall,” Hiashi commented, glancing at the boy’s hands.

“I did not buy anything.”

“Do you need money?” His father guessed.

“No, sir.”

“Alright, then. Your sister wished you had woken her up so she could help with the cleaning,” Hiashi informed.

“I see,” Neji supposed he could have asked Hinata if she wished to come along. He just did not like the idea of the girl being around Naruto or Kiba.

“Dismissed.”

Neji exited the man’s study and made for the stairs.

Once he entered his room, he placed his shoes in his closet and sat down at his desk before a knock sounded at his door.

“Come in,” he called.

“This came for you in the mail,” Hinata presented a small carboard box and placed it next to her brother’s books.

“Thank you.”

Hinata nodded before leaving the boy to his studies.

The box did not have a name on it other than his own. He took scissors to the tape and opened it to find a teddy bear with a note that said, ‘open me’. Neji turned it over to find a zipper which he assumed led to the bear’s stuffing. Only, when he unzipped the stuffed animal, he did not find stuffing. Instead, what supported its structure was a stash of disposable bags that contained a white powdery substance.

“No,” he whispered. His phone chimed. He looked to it where it lied face down against the surface. He turned it over.

_‘You have one week to sell every last one, each for the price listed on the note.’_

Another test of loyalty.

“Ask your brother!” Came a thunderous order.

“Neji?!” Hanabi called from just outside his door.

Neji hurried to zip the bear back up before the girl barged in.

“Can you take me to Moegi’s tomorrow?” The girl asked.

“Yes,” he agreed still stunned.

“Thanks! What’s wrong with you?” She questioned.

“I saw a scary video,” he lied yet again.

“Can I see?”

“No.”

The girl dimmed at his immediate response before departing and shutting the door behind her.

He tossed the bear behind him, landing it on his bed.

“What was the package?” His father asked from the other side of the door.

“A stuffed bear,” Neji responded.

“From whom?”

“I’m unsure.” That much was true.

“You don’t know?”

“Is it a secret admirer?” Hanabi teased behind her father.

Neji thought about it. “Yes,” he settled.

“Guess you won’t have to worry about finding a date to the dance,” Hanabi said.

“Hm,” their father considered, “Very well then.” Neji heard the man distance himself from the room. “Leave your brother alone!” He yelled once he reached the other end of the hall. Neji then heard smaller footsteps rushing away paired with juvenile laughter.

The true sender and a secret admirer did have one thing in common. Either one would watch Neji closely, only for different reasons, but the lie was enough to get by for now.


	11. Chapter 11

“Thank you, sweetheart,” an elderly lady said as she retrieved the cup of apple juice from Neji’s steady hand. Neji smiled and nodded before carrying the tray to the next bingo table over.

“B-13,” called the announcer up front.

“Bingo!” Exclaimed a man who struggled to lift himself from his seat, nonetheless he stood and threw his stiff arms into the air.

“That’s B-15, moron,” corrected the lady neighboring him.

“I know how to read, woman,” the man retorted as he took the card from the surface. He pointed to the square on his card that had supposedly won him the game, “B-13.” He shoved the card into the woman’s face who simply waved him away. “Girl!” The man called for Neji who turned his head to find the source of the commotion, “Yeah, you! Come over here and read this card and tell me that’s not a thirteen that you see on this card!”

Neji delivered a cup of cranberry juice to another elderly resident before approaching the man. He peered at the number that had been covered in a sheer, green dot, “That is a fifteen,” Neji confirmed.

“Yeah? Well, what do you know?” The man countered as the woman below him snickered. “Aren’t you blind? What’s wrong with your eyes, girl?”

“I am not; it is only my eye color,” Neji explained.

“Just go deliver your juice. Go home knowing you shortened my life by a year,” the man dismissed, displeased that he, in fact, had not won the game.

“Oh, Bingo!” Called someone in the distance who had finally realized the row they had marked on their card.

“Damn it all!” The grumpy elderly man cursed.

Neji looked to the clock. The hour of community service was passing unusually slowly. He inhaled deeply as he looked over the crowd to see if anyone was trying to flag him down when he caught Sakura approaching from the kitchen. She sided the male and they watched the senior citizens play the game quietly apart from the old jazz that played lightly. The volume was so low that Neji was sure a number of the participants had yet to notice it.

“Another twenty minutes and we’ll be done,” she notified quietly, “But I’m sure I didn’t have to tell you. You’ve been watching the clock like a hawk since we got here. Do you have somewhere you need to be?”

“No.”

“Are you just ready to go home?” She yawned, “I know I am. I can feel a pop quiz coming up in math, and I need to catch up on the reading.”

“Hey,” said Karui who entered the double doors from the carpeted hallway, “How much longer do we have?” She sighed, leaning against the door frame.

“About twenty minutes,” Sakura answered through another yawn.

“Girl, I feel like you’ve been yawning since we stepped foot in this senior citizen home. Why are you so tired?” Karui questioned, raising a brow.

“I’ve just been busy is all. I wanted to get a job at the grocery store outside of school, but my mom won’t let me. She says I’m already busy enough, but I think it would be a good experience, you know? I don’t want to be that kid that goes to college without working a day in their life,” Sakura complained.

“Yeah? Well, you have this year to be jobless and maybe you can look more into it senior year. Maybe if you cut out all those accelerated classes, you’ll have time to make some money. Trust me, customer service is not fun. Take advantage of being unemployed as long as you can,” Karui said as she rolled the stiffness from her neck, “Anyways, I’m ready to go; this old guy keeps looking at me, and it’s kinda freaky.”

“Who?” Sakura whispered, walking around the Hyuga and nearing the other girl.

Karui pointed an unenthusiastic finger to a man who had been watching her from his seat. The man did nothing to hide it, so Karui did nothing to hide her direct pointing. The elderly man watched with a smirk as if he had a chance with the teenaged girl making Karui roll her eyes in disgust.

“This is why I’ve been in the bathroom for the past ten minutes. As a matter of fact, I’m going back in. You guys be careful,” she leaned away from the frame of the entrance and strolled down the hall, phone in hand.

Sakura side eyed the man who had begun staring her down. The girl grimaced before following after Karui, “Wait,” she called after the girl.

With her gone, the man looked to the announcer and waited for the next number to be called.

“G-52,” the host called.

“Bingo, baby!” The perverted man called, “You,” he pointed to Neji before motioning for the Hyuga to come, “Take this card up there for them to check over. These knees aren’t what they used to be,” he grinned.

Neji sat the empty tray on a small accent table before walking towards the winner. The Hyuga took the card from the man’s wrinkled hand and turned only to be cupped from behind. Neji frowned and looked to the man who only smirked. “Thank you,” the elder paused as he read the boy’s name tag, “Ah, Neji. How’d you get that name?” The Hyuga glared at the offender for some immeasurable moments before he continued to the front and tossed the card, barely landing it in the announcer’s hands. He then exited the game room and walked down the hall to the restroom for a breather. He took a slow steady breath to level his mind before turning and looking to his reflection which was colored a hue of blue from the blue-ish lights reflecting off the marine tile of the dated restroom walls. It was not the first time he had been harassed or groped. However, this time it was in front of a crowd where they were the center of attention. Neji observed the length of his hair and began to wonder what would happen if he cut it all off. He wondered if it was the reason behind all of the trouble over the years before his phone vibrated in his back pocket. He paused. The chime sent an intense feeling of nervousness through him. The door swung open, triggering him to spin towards the newcomer. Neji gripped on to the edge of the sink behind him as he observed the man through widened eyes.

The man, up in age, only looked to Neji through old, heavy lids, “You okay, buddy?” Luckily, he wasn’t the one who had groped him for all to see, still, Neji was sure the newcomer had seen.

Neji only watched him silently and observed his pockets to see if he were carrying anything with him before locking with the elder’s eyes again.

“Okay, then,” the stranger said before entering the first stall door by the row of urinals.

Neji kept his eyes on the stall long after the man locked himself inside. He then realized how quick and shallow his breaths were and worked to slow them. His hands had grown clammy against the quartz sink top, knuckles now white. He released the surface and remembered that someone had messaged him. He pulled the phone from his pocket and prayed that it wasn’t another threat.

_‘Pick up Band-Aids on the way home; your sister fell and scraped her knee,’ Dad._

Neji read it in relief as the toilet flushed. He locked his screen and tucked it away before exiting the restroom to avoid confronting the old man a second time.

. . .

The music in the grocery store was distant and echoed through the shop to the point of the lyrics being incoherent to anyone browsing the aisles. It was late at night and the ceiling lights overhead seemed to be beaming harsher than ever before.

Neji inched from row to row as he rubbed a hand down his eye. He folded his arms as he tried to locate the first aid section as paranoia crept through him. He knew the unknown number had given him until the end of next week to satisfy the requirement, but he could not help but feel as though they would not stick to it. He only wanted it to stop but he knew it would not stop there. The level of intensity seemed to be rising with each task. He took quick glances all around himself every now and then to check if anyone had their eyes on him any longer than necessary. He caught the eyes of a rather large, red headed man looking directly at him. Neji’s pulse shot up in half a second before he turned off into a different aisle.

“Neji.”

Neji jumped at the mention of his name before looking straight ahead to find Sasuke holding a bag of toilet paper under his arm. The Hyuga let out an unsteady breath. Sasuke only stared.

“Sasuke,” he sighed in relief, holding a hand against his aching chest, “Did you just get off from your shift at the footwear store?” Neji asked at seeing the boy at such a late hour.

Sasuke nodded, “Why are you here?”

“I am looking for Band-Aids,” Neji answered.

Sasuke stepped to the side and pointed in the distance, “I passed by them.”

“Thank you.”

The two walked together through the store. The Uchiha picked up on the other’s tension.

“What’s wrong?” Sasuke asked.

“What? What do you mean?” Neji questioned as he looked for the best deal.

“You seem scared.”

“Oh,” Neji grabbed a box and observed the price, “just tired.”

Sasuke resituated the rolls of toilet paper under his arm before looking to his water-proof sports watch, “It’s early.”

Neji looked to his own phone to find that it was far from too late. The sun had already set below the horizon, but he was normally up hours past the current time. He supposed the new drama had been running him thin. “It is,” he agreed. He then turned to face the ravenette who appeared to be even more fatigued than himself. “Are you alright?”

Sasuke nodded as he stared to the floor. He looked as though he was putting his all into keeping his eyes open by never risking a blink. Neji stared to him through his own sleep deprived eyes. Both of them have clearly had nights of sleep stolen from them one way or the other.

“How has practice been?” Neji asked, fully facing the Uchiha. The Hyuga watched his friend to look for any signs that may give him a lead on the truth behind the stressed expression that paralyzed Sasuke’s features.

Sasuke shrugged in response, never taking his intense stare from the store’s tile. He was quiet as usual which was what made it hard to tell if something were truly going on. His silence gave no chance for him to express his own troubles, so if he had any, they would often slip past the group Neji was sure. The Hyuga also picked up on how no one would really check in on the ravenette once Sasuke gave his weightless curt responses to their occasional attempts.

“Are you ready to check out?” Sasuke asked disrupting Neji’s thoughts. His worn, dark eyes connected with the whites of the Hyuga’s, taking the elder off guard.

The Hyuga looked away from the Uchiha and nodded silently. Because both boys were rather beaten, they would slip in and out of sudden trances that gave neither of them any warning.

“Neji! Hi!” Called a rather large boy from the end of the aisle. Choji Akimichi stepped up to the two as he greeted, “I’m sorry about my dad, I think he might have been staring. He was only trying to figure out who you were because he recognized you from one fieldtrip he chaperoned in elementary,” he chuckled, “It was the hair.”

Neji thought back to the man he had nearly ran from minutes ago and recognized the similarities between him and his son. Neji flashed a brief and troubled smile as he nodded.

“You guys look exhausted,” the Akimichi commented, “You guys alright?” He asked, cupping his hands together.

“Yes, thank you,” Neji answered. The boy next to him kept his mouth shut.

“Oh, okay well,” Choji continued, “Shikamaru says hi.”

“Excuse me?” The Hyuga questioned.

Said Nara peeked into the aisle and stared directly to his big boned friend. He didn’t look all too fond of the boy’s lie. Nonetheless, Shikamaru sauntered over and planted his feet next to Choji, “Hey.”

Neji and Shikamaru looked to each other silently after the Hyuga acknowledged the greeting with a tilt of his head.

“Hey,” the Nara repeated to the Uchiha by Neji’s side. Similar to Neji, the ravenette tilted his head wordlessly.

“So, why are you guys here so late?” Choji asked looking from one person to the next.

Sasuke held up the rolls of toilet paper.

“Band-Aids,” Neji responded verbally.

Shikamaru kept his eyes on the Uchiha who seemed to go out of his way to refrain from speaking to them. Sasuke returned the stare. The four held a silence that quickly grew uncomfortable.

“Okay, well. I think we’re gonna go find my dad. I’m sure he’s found everything by now,” Choji broke the silence after detecting the tension that wafted between the two. Surprisingly, Shikamaru dropped the mildly annoyed expression with ease – as if it had never been real – before waving and turning on his heel. Choji followed his friend out of the aisle in search of the Akimichi’s father.

Sasuke then hoisted the rolls of toilet paper over his shoulder before making his way to self-checkout. Neji looked from Shikamaru to Sasuke before following the Uchiha cluelessly.

The two stood side by side as the Uchiha scanned their items together. Sasuke had offered to pay for the small pack of Band-Aids since it was the only thing the Hyuga had picked up. Neji thanked him and waited for the Uchiha to finish bagging his own items. Just like before, however, Neji began to survey the area. Much to his terror, he caught sight of a familiar man staring to him through the store windows. It was the silver-haired man who had surrounded Shikamaru the other night in the back of the gas station. Neji’s pulse skyrocketed much like it did earlier as goosebumps covered him from head to toe. The man simply watched with a cigarette in his mouth. He grinned as he watched the Hyuga through reddish irises. Neji kept his head low and folded his arms tightly. He swallowed, placing a nervous hand over his mouth.

Sasuke turned to him with bags handing from either arm. He handed the male the pack of Band-Aids and noticed just how nerve wracked Neji had suddenly become by his side. Sasuke’s eyes slightly rounded in concern before he frowned, “Neji.”

Neji looked to Sasuke and grabbed the Band-Aids silently. The ravenette then looked around for what might have been the cause for Neji’s sudden terror. He searched in vain, however and returned his gaze to his friend. “Neji,” he repeated.

Neji shook his head and pat the younger boy’s shoulder before making his way to the automatic doors only to stop until the Uchiha was by his side. Sasuke approached Neji and walked him out of the store, placing them into the dark night of a fairly empty parking lot. The younger noticed how the senior would keep his head lowered when he wasn’t glancing all around them. He looked for Neji’s car and decided to walk the Hyuga to his vehicle as opposed to leaving him alone; he appeared to be afraid of something nearby.

They arrived to Hiashi’s SUV where Sasuke stood closely as Neji climbed in. Once Sasuke knew the Hyuga was inside and secure, he stopped looking through the parking lot and looked to Neji who rested his head against the steering wheel.

“Neji,” Sasuke called a third time.

Neji placed two, weak hands against the sides of his head before feigning brushing his hair from his line of sight. He sat back in the car seat and gripped the wheel firmly. His lips were tight as he nodded a goodbye to Sasuke through the open car window before putting the vehicle in reverse.


	12. Chapter 12

The car door slammed shut once Hanabi exited the black SUV to run up to her friend’s doorstep for the second day in a row. Neji watched as the girl banged on the door. He was sure the force she had put into it would not be appreciated by the girl’s parents from within, still the door opened and out stepped Moegi who yanked his sister inside, not sparing even as much as a glance his way. With that done, he had finished his first task of the day. He unlocked his phone and dialed Kiba’s number. The phone rang for a while before Neji heard the other line pick up.

“Dude, I was asleep, what is it?” Kiba groaned into the phone.

Neji looked to the time and found that it was long past noon. “Are you truly having another party next weekend?” He asked. If so, he would have to use the opportunity to sell the packets because he could not begin to think where else to distribute the product efficiently. He felt guilt towards putting students at risk, but his family was at just as much of a risk if he simply stood idly by and allowed time to run out.

“Yeah. Hey, were you gonna tell me someone crushed the table? I didn’t notice until Mom got home and screamed until my ears bled. Do you know how close she came to beating my ass?” Kiba chuckled. Neji could not believe that even after such disciplining the Inuzuka would go and host another party barely a week afterwards, but it worked in Neji’s favor. “Anyways, I’m thinking Sunday. You coming?”

“Why Sunday?” Neji questioned. It would be a school night and a rather sacred day to a number of people he knew.

“We have a game Friday and the team is going to this burger place later on. Saturday is when my mom will be getting ready to go out. I don’t know where she’s going yet, but she won’t be home Sunday. You coming?”

Neji sighed as his lids eased shut, “Yes.”

“You bringing Hinata?”

Neji allowed a staticky silence to follow. He was irked by the boy mentioning the girl. “I don’t know.”

“Oh, okay well,” he heard the Inuzuka sigh, “I hope she comes.”

Neji hung up and began to back out of the driveway as he simmered over the matter.

. . .

Neji and Shikamaru walked around the exterior of the dance studio after Sakura concluded their cheer practice.

“I have no idea of how else to sell the bags,” Neji fretted.

“Do you think they’d let me go off and try to sell half while you sell half?” Shikamaru offered

Neji looked to the boy in surprise. He was willing to get involved in his own life threatening situation though he had his own to worry about. “Really?” Neji asked in disbelief.

Shikamaru shrugged, “I mean I can’t finish my task for another week. I could pick something up in the meantime.”

Neji frowned at the idea of getting Shikamaru involved in something more than what he had to focus on already, “No,” the Hyuga declined.

“It’s not like I’d act like you owe me or anything if that’s what you’re thinking about,” the Nara clarified before looking to Neji.

The Hyuga watched the sidewalk. He was conflicted over the matter.

“I just know some areas where it might sell. If you don’t want to sell it at the party, sell it to adults. The only thing is that they’re regular users and it might not be the safest approaching them. If you don’t want me to deal them for you, I can at least come with you when you do it,” he offered as he rubbed the back of his head. Shikamaru stopped in his tracks and faced Neji who still thought it over.

“Yes,” the elder male decided, “Thank you.”

Shikamaru dropped his arm and looked to the ground as a small smile appeared.

Neji studied it with uncertainty. His arms remained crossed as he pivoted to fully face the Nara. “What do you think we are?”

The question caused Shikamaru’s smile to slowly die before the Nara flickered his eyes to Neji who stood suspicious of the younger boy’s thoughts. The Nara slowly shook his head. “Associates? Acquaintances? – I don’t know. What do you think we are?” He shot right back, placing his hands into the pockets of his loose sweatpants.

“Nothing different from that,” Neji answered firmly. His tone of voice and stern expression resembled that of his father’s.

“Hm,” Shikamaru hummed with a laxed nod of his head.

Neji turned to continue their walk before he looked back to the other boy, “When do you wish to go to the place you mentioned.”

“Whenever,” Shikamaru said as he studied a leaf that had fallen against the concrete. “Why do you come to the cheer practices?” He asked.

“Sakura asked me to. She does not wish to be alone,” Neji answered as he continued his walk.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows, keeping his eyes on the large, symmetrical leaf, “Do all your friends hate me?” The Nara asked openly.

“No, they only,” Neji took some time to think it all over. He thought about the text he had gotten from the pink-haired girl and hour prior to their routine practice. It had expressed her discomfort around the Nara for a reason she could not seem to explain. He then remembered Kiba’s comment from the cleanup. The Inuzuka had called the Nara weird in his presence without bothering to be more discreet about it. Neji then thought about Ino’s aparent displeasure at Neji messaging Shikamaru. Then, just last night, Sasuke had just about refused to share a word with the Nara and glared to him without bothering to hide it either. That was the bulk of his friend group. Realizing this, he drew short of answers.

“That’s fine, it’s not new,” the Nara said before lifting the browning leaf that he had been studying for some minutes. He presented it to the Hyuga who was still rethinking. Neji looked to the leaf before looking to the one who held it. Shikamaru was different from others; there was no doubt about that. Unfortunately, not many people took kindly to differences and often pushed them to the side, sticking to the out of sight, out of mind mentality. Now that Neji had begun speaking to the Nara more often, he had placed Shikamaru in the middle of a crossfire in the center of the entirety of his friend group.

“Weren’t you and Ino friends years ago?” Neji began.

“Yeah,” the younger scoffed, “ _Years_ ago. That was before my parents split up. I moved with my mom in fourth grade I think, but I didn’t like it there, so I came back to live with my dad, but by then, Ino and I barely recognized each other. Age divided us. She was more worried about who she associated herself with and bullshit status or something.” As he spoke, he studied everything around them – anything other than looking directly to the listener.

“Why did she not think you were someone she should speak with?” Neji questioned honestly.

“There’s a list, actually,” the Nara lightly laughed and began to list the reasons with his fingers, “I wasn’t popular enough, I guess. There were a lot of rumors about why I left. I was a nerd or something because of my crazy good grades? I don’t think the way I dressed was flattering – I always wear layered clothing,” he mentioned as he looked himself down, “I don’t know if you noticed.”

“I have,” Neji admitted as he looked to the flannel Shikamaru wore over a plain sweatshirt paired with matching sweatpants. The Nara wore socks along with slides which very much matched his lazy nature.

“Exactly,” Shikamaru said, “I think that’s it,” he said, looking to the four fingers he had raised up, “Oh, she didn’t like how all of the jocks wouldn’t go near me. I was like a potential boyfriend repellant or something,” he looked to the clouds, trying to recall everything that had distanced him from the girl, “And her parents stopped liking mine after the divorce or something like that, so she might’ve been told to distance herself from me. Once I noticed her ignore me in eighth grade, I just let it be. I couldn’t force anything, but she was my first ever friend, so it kinda sucked. I still had Choji, though. I met him after Ino but roughly around the same time, so we knew each other just about as well. Actually, she stopped talking to both of us,” he remembered aloud. He sighed, “It is what it is, I guess,” he shrugged.

It was an ugly thing for the girl to do, but such a thing happened in schools across the globe and had been happening for years. It almost seemed like nature taking its course, still it was unfortunate, “I’m sorry,” Neji apologized.

“For…” Shikamaru asked as he went back to studying the dried leaf.

“For having to put up with that,” Neji responded. He might not have known the girl for as long, but he knew enough of her to know how she could be. Now, he wanted to apologize for secretly thinking the Nara had always been too strange to get involved with as well. For now, he stuck with what he had already said, “It must have been hard.”

“Happens,” the Nara said, tossing the leaf into the grass. He then lightened up, “You wanna hear the rumors people came up with when I left?”

Neji did not recall hearing such rumors, but he supposed that Shikamaru would know them better than anyone else in school. That, and the Hyuga was in fact a grade ahead of the others.

“Someone said I failed the grade and got held back, but I was too embarrassed to stay at the same school, so I transferred. Someone else said that I was expelled for pissing on the teacher’s shoes. One kid said that I went to jail? – I think they said something like I stole a dog. Another kid said I died,” his shoulders moved with his laughter.

“Died? How?” Neji asked.

“Oh, uh,” Shikamaru looked to his feet as he thought it over, “Someone said my mom killed me and that’s why neither of us were around anymore when we just left town.”

The Hyuga was amazed by the creativity behind the tales. Shikamaru looked to the elder’s expression, “I know, it’s crazy,” he said. He felt Neji stop at his side.

“Who is that?” Neji asked, looking to a black SUV with heavily tinted windows.

Shikamaru came to a stop and looked to the vehicle through heavy lids, “Let’s go,” he said, turning on his heel. He recognized the vehicle as that used by the very people who continued to terrorize them, so he took off in the opposite direction. Being used to the harassment, his motions weren’t rushed. It had gotten old.

. . .

“Just how organized are they?” Neji asked, moving aside to allow a man to pass between himself and the Nara. The two walked through the mall on the upper floor. Shikamaru looked over the railing as he ate the fries from the white bag.

“Damn,” the Nara cursed.

“What?” Neji questioned, nearing the edge to peer in the same direction, “What?” He asked again, looking to Shikamaru after failing to find the issue. A panicked feeling began to pick up in his chest.

“The sale ended,” Shikamaru pointed to a game store on the lower level.

Neji narrowed his eyes at the boy who had startled him. He caught a barely noticeable smirk from Shikamaru before the Nara continued on his merry way through the mall. Neji watched the boy gain some distance before looking all down the Nara. He couldn’t help but think about how attractive Shikamaru actually was. Oddly, it was a shame that others could not see it simply because the Nara preferred not to dress to impress. In Neji’s opinion, the boy was more of a whole than others who swore they were above the Nara. Shikamaru seemed to have found his identity years ago, and since then have been at peace with himself as opposed to others who sat back and pointed fingers, breaking themselves to blend in to forever changing trends and styles. Neji pondered over his friend group’s disliking Shikamaru for no solid reason other than what they might have heard through the grapevine. He watched the Nara chew on a single fry from where he stopped in front of a clothing store at random. Neji caught up to the boy and looked into the shop that had caught the junior’s attention.

The store’s windows were covered in large, eye-catching posters of graphic t-shirts and sweatshirts. Neji looked further in to see that the store was filled with the items advertised on the windows and more. There were hats – snap back, beanie and bucket hats alike. The store offered patches to stitch or iron onto clothing. There were buttons of both plastic and soda bottle caps offered in bowls by the register. There were sunglasses, some new and some old fashioned like aviators. There was clothing with comic book strips and others with cannabis designs. License plates and skateboards hung on the walls as décor. The store, altogether, was a bit overwhelming at first glance with the many colors and differentiating styles.

Neji looked to the boy on his side who had stopped stuffing his face.

Shikamaru turned to continue their trek.

“Did you want to go in?” Neji asked.

“Don’t like shopping. It’s a drag trying stuff on,” the Nara said over his shoulder.

Neji saw the way the boy had been staring into the store. The shop’s lights were glowing in his attentive eyes before Shikamaru – through Neji’s eyes – turned his back like a child who was denied entry to a candy shop. Only, he had tried to pass it off as him being disinterested. It did not fool the senior. It was a needed distraction if not stall between them and leaving such a safely populated space.

“I would like to go in,” Neji said as he watched Shikamaru come to a stop.


	13. Chapter 13

The two entered the shop and looked around. Neither of them knew where to start in the expansive store. Alternative rock played all through the space which shaped the theme that the store might have been trying to convey. Neji crossed his arms at a loss of where to go from there. He had been the one to say that he wanted to browse, yet he stood stiffly having barely crossed the entrance. It was obvious that he would never step foot in such a store given his appearance. The Hyuga had secretly hoped that once they entered, something would catch the Nara’s eye. Instead, Shikamaru stood next to him, eyes devoid of enthusiasm unlike before. It was as if the store had never caught the boy’s eye only seconds ago. Neji began to believe that the boy had been telling the truth when he said that shopping was more troublesome to him than enjoyable. The senior began to conjure up the words for an excuse as to why they should just leave before Shikamaru began to drift off in a direction. Thank the gods.

Neji tailed after the boy who seemed to be heading deeper and deeper into the store until the two made it to the very back where there were bins of cluttered items for a great deal in the clearance section. It was disorganized, still the notoriously lazy Nara seemed to be up to digging through the pile of fabrics and vanity items with determination. Neji watched Shikamaru as he bent over, searching for a diamond in the rough. The Nara begun to lean into the bin lower and lower until his entire upper body appeared to be submerged in items before he popped his head back up having found the very item that somehow caught his attention. Neji stepped up to the boy and peered over his shoulder to find said item was nothing other than a pair of long socks covered in a print of bloody cartoon knives. The Hyuga then looked to Shikamaru through a look that showed of both his confusion and concern. The Nara only studied the socks as if he were observing a painting to decide whether the frame was even against the wall.

Neji, realizing that the boy was in some sort of contemplative state, turned to observe the rest of what the store had to offer. He looked to a wall covered in t-shirts on display. The wall opposite to itself held mounts with unique sneakers and slide-on shoes. He then looked to the Nara from over his shoulder who lowered the socks into the bin before retrieving his bag of French fries from the pocket of his hoodie. He faced Neji as he slid the tip a single fry into his mouth.

“Do you like shoes?” Neji asked in a way that suggested the male expected a no. Shikamaru only shrugged as the fry hung from his mouth. Neji then looked away to a section of hats that all seemed to be of high quality, “Do you like hats?”

Shikamaru bit off a piece of the fry before speaking, “I don’t really wear them,” he admitted. Everything he did, he did with nonchalance. He never seemed to be excited. The most energized Neji had ever seen him was when they spray painted the back of the science building. He remembered their first day back after the incident. The principle made an announcement stating that paint was no longer allowed on campus unless provided by the art teacher. They were never caught which the Hyuga supposed was a good thing. Still, the matter sat on his nerves and made his mind wander here and there.

“Neji,” Shikamaru called again, now closer than the Hyuga remembered him being.

The elder male looked to him as the boy held a rather large black t-shirt with a graphic design on its front that resembled graffiti art. It wasn’t Neji’s style much, so he simply nodded. Shikamaru then held the shirt away from himself so he could observe it again. The Nara looked it over for some moments before turning and leaving to place it back on its hanger.

“Do you like it?” Neji questioned.

Shikamaru shrugged as expected, “It’s okay.”

“I’ll buy I for you,” Neji said.

“No thanks. Don’t think I’d ever wear it,” the Nara declined before browsing through the neighboring shirts silently.

Neji watched the boy as Shikamaru continued to lie to himself before taking off towards the clearance bins. He reached in and grabbed the socks the Nara seemed to favor minutes ago. Shikamaru watched him wordlessly as Neji made his way towards him. The Hyuga took the graphic t-shirt from its hanger and tossed it over his arm before looking to the Nara. He simply stood and stared to the boy who watched him without a word. He kept his calm and unbothered composure.

“What are doing?” Shikamaru asked dumbly.

Neji looked away in annoyance before locking eyes with the other, “Buying these for you.”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru said before taking the shirt from Neji and hanging it back up, “then I said no thanks.”

“Then I disregarded that, so choose your next item.”

Shikamaru’s shoulder slumped lazily before he tilted his head. He hoped his expression alone would get Neji to stop going against him, but the Hyuga’s stare did not budge.

“Why?” The Nara asked.

“It is out of gratitude for helping me through my next task. Now, choose your next item.”

A smile slowly grew over Shikamaru’s face as he observed the male. “What?” He laughed.

“How many times must I repeat myself, Nara?” Neji crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one hip.

“You’re paying?” The Nara asked doubtfully.

Neji then nodded.

Shikamaru faced away from the Hyuga for some seconds trying to come to terms with the offer. It was sudden and rather hard to believe that someone like him would make such a gesture. He then turned back towards Neji. “Okay,” he decided, smile now replaced by his usual nonchalant front.

“You get five items,” the Hyuga stated, “of a reasonable price.”

Shikamaru nodded and looked around as his smile grew a second time. The Nara’s tongue grazed his teeth in a predatory way, “You are strange,” the Hyuga commented mindlessly. Shikamaru’s sharp eyes flicked back to Neji, but his smile remained. He stared before swaying backwards towards the hats. “I thought you said that you do not wear hats,” Neji pointed out.

“Thinking of trying something different,” Shikamaru said as he released his hair from its tie. He shook it out and ran the necessary fingers through it until the hair settled enough for him to place a hat over his head without it looking too disheveled. Neji watched the boy closely as he did this. The Nara chose a simple black baseball cap and placed his fingers on its tip as he looked to each angle of his reflection. He then looked to Neji with a laxed smile before repositioning the hat backwards. The Hyuga only stared at Shikamaru without a word. The Nara waited for commentary until the silence stretched to a point of awkwardness, so he walked towards his partner in crime and took the shirt that hung in Neji’s arm. Shikamaru removed his flannel – he handed it to Neji who took it speechlessly – in order to slide the large shirt over his head. He wore the graphic t-shirt over the grey hoodie and tugged the hood out of its collar. The Nara then held his arms out in question.

Neji only nodded.

Shikamaru dropped his arms and spun his hat back around until it faced front, “Is it bad? I only like the shirt because it reminds me of the thing,” he then mocked spray painting with his hands in order to insinuate his thoughts. Neji shut his eyes shamefully at the reminder. To that, the Nara only smirked before looking to his reflection all over again. He turned his head from side to side with a genuine smile before removing each unbought article of clothing. Neji felt the boy walk past him, so he opened his eyes to watch as Shikamaru began placing the items back in their respective places. Neji frowned as he watched him do it. He no longer wished to fight him over it, so he allowed the Nara to finish.

“You ready to go?” Shikamaru asked before coming to a stop right before a confused Neji.

The Hyuga inhaled and opened his mouth to answer only to be interrupted.

“There is something I want you to buy me actually.”

. . .

Shikamaru walked through the door to his house, past the kitchen and directly to the couch. He fell against the furniture and lied down, placing his new bag of french fries – paid entirely for by Neji – on the coffee table in front of him. He looked to Neji who stood in the entry way stiffly. Anyone would have guessed the male had never stepped foot in the house before. He looked as though bumping into any piece of furniture would cause him to self-destruct.

“You can sit,” Shikamaru said as a matter of factly.

“I was just leaving. It is getting late,” Neji informed, looking through the window.

Shikamaru placed a hand underneath his head, “Okay, thanks for dinner.”

“Dinner?” Neji questioned.

The Nara then reached out to lift the greasy bag of fries.

Neji shook his head, “That is your dinner?”

Shikamaru looked away as though the question was rather peculiar. He then nodded carefully as if the answer would cause the Hyuga to go into a tirade.

“You need to eat better,” the elder said.

Shikamaru shrugged.

Neji narrowed his eyes at what he perceived to be a helpless boy. At least now, Shikamaru was comfortable enough to live at home alone again. Neji still did not understand the reason behind the Nara’s confidence and comfort in their predicament, but Shikamaru’s calm did aid in Neji’s state of mind.

“I don’t know where my dad is, but whatever he’s doing wherever he’s doing it, it’s working. They aren’t breathing down our necks anymore, too much anyways,” he mumbled the last part. He watched Neji nod but without confidence. Shikamaru then sat up, “Hey, look,” he said capturing the Hyuga’s attention, “maybe we can pay someone to sell the contraband.”

“How could we possibly trust a stranger with the substance? How could we be sure that the seller would not use it or take the money that it was sold for?” Neji shot each question right after the other without giving the other much time to answer in between.

Shikamaru held up his hands, motioning for the Hyuga to slow down, “I know people, okay? It’ll be fine, relax.”

“Relax?” 

“Yeah,” Shikamaru said approvingly, “relax. Come here,” he then slid to the side, allowing enough space for the elder to sit.

“I need to go,” Neji declined.

“Neji.”

The Hyuga deadpanned at the boy having heard enough.

“Listen,” Shikamaru tried again, “I’m just trying to help, alright? I know a guy. I’ve known him for years.”

“Do I know him?”

“You remember Kankuro from the store?”

Neji thought back before allowing the boy to continue that thought.

“Okay. He and his siblings owe me some favors. I can ask the three of them if any of them could help us sell.”

“Are they not young? I do not want to put them in that position,” Neji argued.

“They’ve done worse. And better yet,” Shikamaru held up a single finger, “They don’t use, so why would they start in the middle of distributing the product?” He grinned at Neji until it seemed as though the Hyuga was hearing him out.

“What if the unknown number wants me to sell it all myself?”

Shikamaru’s face reverted to its more natural, drowsy appearance, “Um,” he rubbed the back of his neck with a shrug, “I’m thinking these guys only care about you getting them the money above anything else honestly.”

Neji looked the junior up and down with a stern face before drifting towards the couch and sitting next to him, “When is the soonest that he can do it?”

“Haven’t asked yet.”

Of course.

“But I will tonight,” he pulled his phone out from the pocket of his sweatpants before lying back down against the couch. Neji assumed the boy began to send out the request through text, so he sat patiently as he looked over the room. He noticed that the coffee table was carved of some sort of special wood. It wasn’t too even which made it clear that it was carved by hand and hand alone. He then looked to the entrance where a crocheted curtain hung in place of a door. There was a bookcase filled with not only books, but old shoes and what seemed to be albums both CD’s and records. The walls were painted a deep red which darkened the room. The bit of light that crept through the blinds even reflected off of the scarlet. On the ceiling hung a wooden fan, unmoving at the moment. He then caught sight of a pet feeding bowl. It was odd considering how Neji never encountered an animal for as long as he had been stopping by.

“Do you have a pet?” Neji asked.

“Huh? Oh, no. That’s for whenever my mom is traveling. She has an annoying cat that she makes us watch until she comes back,” Shikamaru said before looking back to his screen.

Neji looked to the old, authentic wooden floors that creaked with each step. “Mh,” he hummed in understanding.

“Okay,” Shikamaru sighed before sitting back up to face his guest, “I sent it out. They’re kinda busy, so I don’t know when they’ll answer,” he admitted before checking his phone only to find an empty screen saver, “I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

Neji stared at the Nara’s face for some time before nodding, keeping his lips sealed. His phone then rang, signalling him to find his way back, “Hello?... Yes, I am currently heading home,” Neji lied, “Yes, sir,” he leaned his head back in an exhausted manner, “yes, sir,” he repeated.

Shikamaru only lied back against the couch as his eyes blindly wandered the ceiling before he decided to distract himself with his phone. He heard Neji say his goodbyes through the phone before the male ended the call. He looked to the Hyuga who dropped the phone to the seat as he collected himself in the dark for a bit before rising to a stand. Shikamaru shut his phone off as he eyed the other.

“Bye.”

“See you,” the Nara responded before lying his head back and shutting his eyes to slip into his typical afternoon nap.


	14. Chapter 14

“Okay,” Ino sighed. She acted as though the tryouts were a waste of her time as she stepped up from her seat. She crossed her arms and walked around the table until she fully faced the group that consisted of all girls with the exception of one guy. The blond looked them over silently. She intimidated them all, of course, except Shikamaru who maintained a slouched composure as he watched the girl. Right then in that moment the only thing on his mind was dropping from the team as soon as they returned from their trip. He should be more concerned about whether he will make the team first before thinking so far ahead, but he was fairly confident they had perfected the routine in the studio.

“Are you just gonna stare them down until they don’t wanna be on the team anymore?” Karui asked from where she sat at the foldable table.

Ino rolled her eyes before turning around to face the girl. She placed a hand on the plastic surface and leaned until their eyes leveled, “I’ll do this how I want to,” she said before offering a sarcastic smile. She spun around to face the now nervous contestants, “Okay, you first,” she pointed to a rather small girl who no longer seemed determined to secure a spot on the cheer team, still she worked her way to the front before Ino pressed play on the stereo.

“I think they’ll get it,” TenTen said from where she sat with Neji in the bleachers. The Hyuga only watched the performance with folded arms. “Don’t worry too much. I mean, look at her,” the girl said.

The contestant currently trying out struggled to keep her balance with each move. She would pause in between transitions to catch herself every now and then until she stopped moving altogether. She stood frozen stiff. Her shoulders shrunk inward, and her head fell. She appeared to be shielding herself as if she were convinced that she would turn invisible if she kept the stance.

Ino raised a brow and paused the song. The song’s echo throughout the relatively empty gym disappeared after some seconds, making the situation all the more awkward if not embarrassing.

“Oh,” TenTen whispered pitifully. She winced silently and covered her face. Neji frowned. He had secretly been hoping the other contestant wouldn’t do as well, but he would not wish this on anyone. Just when neither of them could think it could get any worse, they heard a sharp breath that immediately told everyone present that the girl had begun to cry. She was mortified by her performance and her own reaction to the failure had worsened it all.

No one knew what to do. Some thought that it would be best to pretend not to see it, others thought it would be better to let her cry it out. Some looked to one another, waiting for someone to say something to drown out the girl’s quiet cries.

Finally, Shikamaru stepped towards the girl and placed a reassuring arm around her causing her to gasp. “Aren’t you in the photography club?”

The girl sniffled and looked away, cupping her face. She nodded shyly as her face began to heat up.

Shikamaru didn’t look directly at her; the girl had enough eyes on her already, “You guys are the ones who take the photos for the school news and stuff, right?” He asked.

Another shy nod came in response.

“How do you get the pictures? The photos are always this crazy quality that I can’t get from my phone,” he raised a clueless brow.

The girl in his arm giggled briefly before wiping her eyes. She kept her gaze to the ground, “Cameras,” she answered quietly.

“My phone has a camera,” he said as if it weren’t the most obvious thing in the world.

“We use special lenses,” she laughed.

“Oh, where do you get them?” He questioned.

“Internet,” her voice was quiet and a bit nasally from her crying fit, so she kept her answers as brief as possible.

“Are they expensive?”

The girl nodded with a small smile as she wiped her tear-swollen eyes.

“I’ll just keep using this thing,” he sighed sadly towards his cracked screen.

That was when she let out laughter that was more genuine, “I’m sorry,” she apologized with a smile.

“For what? All you did was teach me about cameras.”

“No! I mean the crying, it was dumb,” she covered her face again as she heated up. The embarrassment began to return, reminding her of everyone who was most likely watching.

Shikamaru leaned closer to the girl’s ear and dropped to a whisper, “If I had to go first and it were Ino I were trying to impress, I would’ve fainted, so I think you handled it pretty well.”

Ino could not hear what the boy was muttering in the girl’s ear. She could only watch them from behind as the girl’s faint giggles began to pick up. She raised a brow and shifted her weight to her hip. She looked the two up and down before the whispering became obnoxious. Ino cleared her throat. The Nara looked over his shoulder before disregarding the cheer captain. He then whispered one last thing in the girl’s ear before sending her off. Even as she exited the gym, her laughter had yet to die down. Shikamaru swayed back towards Sakura who stood next in line to compete, keeping his hands in the pockets of his sweats. His face reverted to its usual calm as he waited for Ino’s next words. The only ones left were himself and Sakura.

The Yamanaka looked from one to the other. She knew just as well as them that there was no longer any need to test the two. They were the only ones that were possibly eligible to fill the gap. She inhaled a long breath through her nose before walking around the table and taking a seat. “Alright, let’s see what you came up with,” she waved Karui over to play the music.

The music began and so did the routine they had only practiced for a few days. They were perfectly in sync except for when the pink haired girl missed a single step knocking her off rhythm. She awkwardly stood until she recognized a part of a song where a certain step came into play which was when she synced back up with the Nara who never stopped.

“Oh,” TenTen said with more enthusiasm than before, “ _What_?” She said in shock of the Nara’s performance.

Neji had seen them practice, but seeing the Nara put in such physical work was still odd to him.

“Why does he want to cheer again?” TenTen questioned as she unscrewed the cap to her water bottle.

“To travel,” Neji answered honestly.

“That would probably be the only reason I’d join,” she admitted before taking a sip, “Just wait until the girls want to braid his hair and do his make up.”

Neji raised his brows in amusement. The thought had not occurred to him before, but the idea was comical. He wondered what the boy’s response would be. Suddenly, a boisterous cheer came from the gym’s entrance following the loud sound of the doors hitting the wall at being violently swung open. Neji looked to find Kiba, Sasuke and Naruto along with some other boys he assumed were of the football team. Their practice must have been over, but it was rather early for it to have concluded. Neji furrowed his brows.

“Oh, no,” TenTen said, lowering her bottle.

The other football players followed along with Kiba’s sarcastic cheering at seeing Shikamaru following through with a cheer routine. All except Sasuke who simply continued towards the locker room.

“Whoo, get em!” Kiba yelled followed by the rest.

“Twirl!” One boy yelled.

“Do the pyramid thing!” Naruto added.

“Do a back flip!” Another boy exclaimed.

“Do the splits!” A third shouted.

“Shake those pom poms!” A fourth.

“Where are your ribbons?” A fifth.

Finally, the song concluded and the two paused in the stances assigned to them from the printed choreography. Sakura then looked worriedly to the Nara who maintained his typical appearance of nonchalance.

“Now do it in a skirt!” Kiba yelled earning a wave a laughter from his teammates.

Ino laughed before brushing her hair over her shoulder, “Okay you guys weren’t terrible, but Sakura,” she shared a look with said girl. Both of them had caught her misstep; it did not need to be discussed. “You’re lucky you’re the only ones trying out for the spots,” she said before clicking a pen to record their names on a clipboard.

“I hate her,” TenTen said under her breath.

“Yet you do her homework,” Neji commented.

“She pays me.”

“Sometimes,” Neji said at remembering what the Yamanaka had said the previous week.

TenTen’s spiteful gaze softened into one of someone who had run out of defenses. Neji didn’t need to look to the girl to know she had nothing left to say. He only glared at the Inuzuka as the boy mocked the choreography. The Hyuga shook his head before shutting his eyes.

“I can say that I hate him with confidence,” TenTen assured, looking to Kiba.

“I am sure,” Neji agreed. He then felt the bleachers shake as someone made their way up. He opened his eyes to find the Nara planting himself on a riser one level lower than the other two. “Congratulations,” Neji said.

Shikamaru shrugged, “I’m hungry,” he said as he stood.

“I have a game in a few,” TenTen informed as she joined the Nara, “You?” She asked, looking to the Hyuga.

“I have a club event later today,” Neji said.

“When?” Shikamaru asked.

“Thirty minutes.”

“Can you give me a ride?” The boy asked.

“Where?”

“The diner down the road.”

. . .

Neji allowed the boy to play whatever music he wished as he drove them towards the Nara’s destination.

“Has anyone approached you since that night?” Neji asked.

“No, you?”

“No.” Luckily the men that had been ordering them around have stuck true to their word. They have not given either of them trouble since the previous week. Neji could only hope that the streak would continue. He remembered seeing the silver-haired man in the window of the grocery store. It was dark and the man had been smoking a cigarette, staring directly at the Hyuga without trying to hide it. His chains hung loosely around his neck in between the opening of his black, leather jacket. Neji could remember every detail of the man with ease because of the great intensity of stress he put the Hyuga through.

“You missed the turn,” the Nara pointed out from where he sat in the passenger’s seat. Again, he wasn’t sitting properly in case of a crash. He sat lowly in the seat with his legs all but on the car floor.

“Sit up,” Neji ordered and Shikamaru did as told.

“They said yes, by the way. Kankuro said he’d do it for you as long as you pay up,” the Nara said.

It was a relief of course, now he would have to think over how to pay the man and how much. “How much does he want?”

Shikamaru typed the question and waited for some seconds before looking to the elder, “How much you got?” He quoted directly.

Neji frowned, “How much does he want?”

“Do you want me to call him?”

“No.”

“I’ll pay him,” the Nara said.

“No, it is my task, I have to pay him,” Neji turned down instantly.

“Yeah, but I work, and you don’t. I can always make some more. I have a good amount saved up.”

The car stopped at a red light, and Neji leaned back in his seat, removing his hands from the wheel. He placed his elbow on the car door and rubbed his head, “Fine,” the Hyuga surrendered.

Shikamaru notified the man through text before locking his phone. They both watched as cars sped by through the intersection.

“You want something from the diner?”

Neji sighed, “No thank you.”

“What? Did I say something?” The Nara questioned in response to Neji’s apparent loss of energy.

“No, it is just that,” Neji paused at seeing the greenlight before placing his hands on the wheel, “I do not understand you, Nara.”

“I don’t understand you.”

“Me?” Neji questioned in disbelief.

“You,” Shikamaru assured.

“What do you not understand?”

The Nara looked to his lap and placed his elbow on the arm rest between them. He leaned his head against his hand and shrugged. Neji didn’t understand where the Nara was going with the comment, but he dropped it as he turned into the parking lot of his destination. Neji braked to allow the boy to climb out of the vehicle.

“When does your club thing end?” Shikamaru asked, looking to the car door handle.

“They last an hour each. Do you need a ride home?”

“I’ll call someone.”

Neji nodded in understanding.

“You wanna come over some time?” Shikamaru asked, sucking his lips in.

Now Neji knew why the boy had been keeping his gaze floored. He also knew what the invite meant. He hadn’t been feeling rather aroused lately due to the seemingly endless stressors that had recently picked up. The question made him uneasy due to it being the most that they have ever discussed of their arrangement. He paused unsure of what to say. “I am unsure,” the Hyuga responded.

Shikamaru nodded in understanding before looking to Neji, “See you, thanks for the ride.” The boy opened the car door to step out.

“You’re welcome,” Neji said keeping his eyes through the windshield, anywhere but the Nara.

With that, Shikamaru shut the door, leaving Neji to get to where he needed to be though now oddly embarrassed.


	15. Chapter 15

“And the big, bad wolf was the one who was stuffed, roasted and served on a silver platter,” Neji finished with a concerned smile to the ending of what was supposed to be a children’s book.

“Can I have the book?” A child asked from where he sat on the alphabet rug.

Neji handed him the short story, assuming the child wished to see the pictures again only for the preschooler to start banging the book to the ground repeatedly. Neji looked to Sakura who only forced a smile as she handed them crackers in small plastic cups.

. . .

“I don’t remember children’s books being that gruesome growing up,” Sakura said as she leaned against the hood of her pink mini car.

“Me either,” Neji admitted leaning against the hood of his own car.

“The violence is probably the reason why that kid tried to force that book into that poor girl’s mouth,” she giggled, “Are you okay?” She asked looking to the bite mark that one of the children had given him.

Neji looked to his hand, “Yes.”

“Alright well, I’ve been meaning to ask. Since when have you and Shikamaru been close?” Sakura finally questioned.

“We have known each other since eighth grade,” Neji started out honestly.

“You guys haven’t really talked until just recently,” the girl pointed out.

“We spoke more through messages.” Not even that was a lie. Whenever one of them felt like hooking up, they would send a single message or emoji. Whatever they sent was short and did not specify what it was they were asking exactly, yet both of them knew what the occasional message meant.

“Hm,” the girl hummed curiously. “He’s nice,” she said.

Neji looked to her.

“I thought he was just some lazy creep, honestly. Seeing him cheer that girl up today was really sweet,” she looked to her feet, regretting being so judgmental towards someone she hadn’t taken the time to get to know. “And now we’re both on the cheer team!” she cheered, “I never took him to be the type of guy for it.”

Neji nodded.

“Hey, have you spoken to Sasuke?” It was typical of her to bring the boy up, “I know he’s quiet, but it feels like we’ve been seeing less and less of him every day,” she complained.

“He is busy,” Neji put simply.

“I know, but he hasn’t been eating lunch with us lately. He doesn’t even respond to the group chat anymore. I mean, I see him on campus, yes, but he doesn’t say anything,” her volume grew along with her concern.

“Perhaps he needs space,” Neji suggested.

“Oh, whatever, he’s just been ignoring us. If you need space, then just tell us. Don’t ignore us,” the girl said before climbing into her car. Neji did the same to his own.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sakura said through her window before backing out of the parking space.

Neji waited for the girl to drive off so that he had enough space to do so as well. As soon as the girl drove off from the small parking lot, a familiar number called. The hands-free system in the car rang until Neji answered it. It was the one that had been harassing him for nearly two weeks. His hand hovered over the button when a knock sounded off at the passenger car window. Neji jumped and looked to find one of the men who had circled Shikamaru on that wet night behind the minimart. Another knock sounded to the other side of his car, making him swivel his head until another man was in sight just outside of his own window. Soon, he realized that the car was surrounded. He froze and tensed. He lowered his head and allowed his hair to shroud his vision. His heart was racing as his stomach twisted tightly. His arm, still hovering over the button shook as he finally answered the call.

“Open the car door,” the number ordered through a disguised voice.

Neji’s hand shakily slid to the lock of the door, unlocking each door. The man who had been standing outside of the passenger door entered the car and made himself comfortable in the seat beside Neji. Neji had not moved. He kept his head lowered and his arms limp. He looked as though the life had been drained from him though he had not been touched.

“Your father is still no where to be found,” the man said.

Neji slowly lifted his head enough to look to the man through a single eye. The stranger was not the one from the grocery store. Rather, it was the taller one with tattoos of stitches around his arms.

“My…” Neji began drily.

“Your father. He is ignoring us, and the man up top is growing impatient,” the stranger informed.

“Why…” Neji’s voice was quiet and faint. “Why do you need me?”

The large man looked to Neji through emerald irises which had whites that weren’t white at all rather they were black, only further terrifying the smaller male in the driver’s seat. “We told your father that if he did not return and answer for the damage he has done, then we would come for his son, Neji Hyuga. It seems as though your father doesn’t care what becomes of you. The man who controls us can only be lenient for so long. One of us was even ordered to kill you, but the one given the order did not follow through. It gave our boss time to rethink his rash decision until he decided that we could do whatever we wished regarding you as long as you were kept alive. There was no point in murdering our bait for you father so soon.”

Hearing his name come from a stranger who he knew nothing of horrified the Hyuga but not as much as learning that he would have been dead by now had everything gone according to plan. “He works on contracts,” Neji said weakly.

“Is that what he told you?” The man questioned, “He lied.” The stranger then pulled the car door handle, triggering the car lights to illuminate the inside of the vehicle. The man shut the door with a great force that shook Neji. The group of men then dispersed, leaving a trembling Neji to dial his most trusted contact with unsteady hands.

“Hello?” Shikamaru’s voice sounded through the car’s speakers.

Neji’s answer was delayed. The Hyuga removed the hand that he held over his mouth enough for his words to make it across, “They came back.” He wasn’t sure of what Shikamaru could do about it, but something told him to call the Nara.

“Did they hurt you?” The Nara asked.

“No,” Neji sighed, placing both hands to the side of his head. He shut his eyes and tried to calm himself.

“See? All talk.”

“Things will get worse if my father does not answer their demands,” Neji explained uneasily. There was an audible pause on the other line.

“Where are you?” Shikamaru asked.

“The preschool,” Neji said. His nerves settled enough for him to drive, so he put the vehicle in reverse and began to steer out of the lot.

“Are you going home?” The Nara questioned.

“Do you need a ride?”

Another pause sounded from the other line.

“No, I’m good. Just get home.”

“Shikamaru, do you need me to pick you up?”

“No. Get home and talk to your dad.”

Neji heard a honk come from the other line, “Are you walking?”

“Yeah,” the Nara admitted, “But I like it, it’s nice. You know, I’ve been doing it a lot since the car broke down.”

. . .

“Thank you,” Shikamaru said quietly as he climbed into the SUV.

“You’re welcome,” Neji said before pulling off.

“You haven’t asked your dad yet?” The Nara questioned as he lowered a to go box to his lap.

“No,” Neji admitted as he watched for oncoming traffic. He wasn’t sure of the outcome. He wasn’t sure of whether he could trust the word of the criminals or not. He feared that his father would have involved the police or held Neji accountable for getting involved in the matter himself. It would not have been out of the man’s typical behavior to lecture him before checking to see if he was okay after dealing with his own mess for that long. For some reason, Neji’s independent character felt as though he could deal with it alone like he had done many things throughout his life. As to exactly why he hadn’t informed his father riddled even himself. It could have been the best option to put an end to the madness before it grew, however until recently, Neji did not think that they would get a new assignment after the graffiti, so he supposed it might have been time to confront his father before the assignments became something that would forever taint his image.

. . .

“At least he gave you money for gas,” Hiashi grumbled, taking the cash from Neji’s hand. He began to leave his son in the foyer when he thought over the boy’s odd demeanor. He turned and looked Neji up and down, “What is wrong?” The tone of voice of which he asked was anything but genuine concern. He asked as though he were irritated by Neji’s acting out of character.

Neji looked to the man hesitantly.

“Speak up.”

“You work on contracts,” Neji began only for the stranger’s words to echo within him: He lied. Hiashi lied.

“Why are you bringing this back up?” Hiashi questioned impatiently.

“Is that all you do?”

“What do you mean? It is all I do to pay the bills and fuel the tank you insist on burning through on so call friends. Yes, contracts are all I do,” the man went on.

“I did not mean…” Neji began.

Hiashi waved him off before leaving the boy alone to ponder over how to go from there. “Dinner is in the oven!”

. . .

Neji pieced together a presentation to the best of his ability as his thoughts raged on. He had to talk to his father. His fingers stopped over the keyboard. He listened to the hum of his laptop as he looked to the black screen of his phone. No new messages. He sat back in his chair and studied the computer screen as he thought. His father should still be in his office right about then. He wouldn’t head to bed for some time. Neji took in a deep breath through his nose before standing to face his bedroom door. He feared that he would learn more of the man than he would wish to know if he were to confront Hiashi. He also could not help but feel as though no one was at fault besides himself who had decided to run to Shikamaru during some sort of altercation. Still, he made his way through his room and to the top of the staircase. He walked down the steps in no rush to get to the man’s office. Once he reached the bottom, he spotted the double doors to Hiashi’s office and stood silently for some time. He then gained enough of a level head to approach the study. He planted his feet before the room and knocked on the French doors before waiting for a voice on the other side.

“Not right now.”

Neji was relieved as he stood speechlessly before the door. He took no time to leave the man to his work so he could continue his own. He made his way back up the stairs and shut himself off in his own office that doubled as a bedroom. He sat in the chair before his laptop with folded arms. His phone chimed, and that familiar feeling of dread took over. He glanced over briefly to see yet another unknown number. He grabbed the phone quickly and studied the text through panicked eyes. Oddly, the message was from a different number than usual.

_‘don’t talk to your dad about it,’ unknown number._

Though the number was different, it was all the confirmation Neji needed to be sure that speaking to his father about the matter was not a good idea. Still, he felt uneasy with not being able to speak to Hiashi about the issue once things elevated to a new intensity. He figured the new number must be from another phone the men were now using to contact him. There was a great number of men in the group that Neji had seen, so it only made sense. He looked to his laptop hopelessly to find that he had only completed five out of twelve slides. He could not possibly focus on such a long school assignment then. He lowered the screen and grabbed his phone to inform the Nara of the changed circumstances before lying on his bed.

_‘Weird. They’ve only ever used one number with me,’ Shikamaru._

Given the new information, the new number was even more odd. Neji decided not to put too much thought into it; there was enough going on without diving deeper into something that was so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Neji rubbed his eyes before lifting his phone to respond, _‘Are you fine after earlier?’_

_‘What happened earlier?’ Shikamaru._

_‘The football team.’_

_‘Yeah,’ Shikamaru._

Neji thought of the Nara’s response to the team’s foolery. He acted as though the boys had never entered the gym to begin with.

_‘I’m sorry.’_

_‘I don’t see why, but okay. Are you safe now?’ Shikamaru._

_‘Yes.’_

_‘It sucks at first, but after a while the shaking stops,’ Shikamaru._

_‘I see.’_

Neji stared to the screen, oddly wishing to say more. He learned that he relaxed just slightly when discussing the issue with the Nara. It helped to be reminded that he was not alone in it all. 

_‘When do you leave for Sunagakure?’_

_‘Thursday. Our first competition is Friday, then we come back Sunday morning. I was gonna drop from the team then go to the party,’ Shikamaru._

Neji had forgotten about Kiba’s party. He frowned at the reminder of his sister begging him to go.

_‘Will you have the energy to go after the trip?’_

_‘Yeah, if I’m not in jail,’ Shikamaru._

He would have to complete his given task successfully before he even thought about partying.

_‘I’ll just sleep on the bus. You going?’ Shikamaru._

_‘I will have to go with Hinata.’_

_‘Have to?’ Shikamaru._

_‘If either of us want to attend a party, our father forces us to go together as a type of supervision.’_

_‘Your dad is weird,’ Shikamaru._

It was expected coming from someone with no one to watch him around the clock for the majority of his high school career.

_‘Well as long as you’re safe, I’m gonna go to sleep,’ Shikamaru._

_‘It is early.’_

The sun was still setting.

_‘Yeah, but I didn’t take a nap after school because of the cheerleading thing, so I’m gonna pass out, see you,’ Shikamaru._

Neji locked his screen and lied the device against the blanket. He looked to the window where the afternoon sun glowed dimmer with the minute. He tried to convince himself that everything would balance itself out. He reminded himself that selling the substance in the bags was taken care of. All he had to do was give the product to Kankuro and take the money the man made off of distributing it all before next week. Only, once that task was completed, there was no telling what would happen next. He almost didn’t want to complete the assignment if it meant that he would be ordered to do something worse. Neji sat up and tried to clear his mind. He then grabbed his phone and opened messages to the anonymous text he had gotten minutes ago. He read it again before looking to the number. It had a different area code from the one that had first messaged him the previous week. Neji furrowed his brows and wondered how much territory the organization truly covered.


	16. Chapter 16

Neji walked through the halls. Nothing registered as he made his way to his next class. Every sound and face went over his head; he was fatigued. He could not sleep the night before due to his mind running through yesterday’s events and what they could lead up to. He had yet to speak to his father over the situation that has proven to be inescapable. Nothing truly reached his train of thought until he caught a head of grey in the corner of his eye causing his pulse to spike and his shoulders to shoot upward. He jumped rather violently then stood only to find that it was none other than his club advisor Kakashi Hatake.

“Hey, Neji,” the man smiled gently resting a single hand in his pocket.

“Good morning,” Neji greeted quietly. He settled down enough to continue through the hall. He looked to the clock through eyes that burned, begging him to shut them long enough for a break from shooting from place to place. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands before catching sight of Sasuke. “Sasuke,” he spoke only for the boy to drift past him. Neji watched the Uchiha from behind as the ravenette gained distance. Sakura had been right; Sasuke’s behavior was rather abnormal even for him, but Neji decided to leave it be. He only had five more minutes to get to the next building over.

. . .

“Just follow the instructions, and you should be fine. It’s easy stuff, you’re an advanced class there shouldn’t be any questions,” the teacher said before taking a seat and directing the rest of his attention to his phone. As soon as he stepped away from the front of the class, the students branched off into their own discussions unrelated to the assignment.

“You guys hear about the party at Kiba’s on Sunday? No one’s gonna come to school Monday if the party’s anything like the one last week. Did he get in trouble for the table? Of course, he did. I don’t know how he would even think about hosting another one. I can only imagine the scolding he got after everything was over. Did he even clean in time?” Omoi rambled.

“Of course, he got in trouble. I can’t think of a time when he’s not,” Sakura rolled her eyes as she twirled her pink highlighter in her fingers. She leaned over towards Neji’s desk, “We have cheer practice today, then we were going to head to the football field to watch the team practice. Theirs usually lasts at least an hour or more. It’s just been some time since we’ve really spoken to Sasuke, and I kinda miss him. Well, I’m sure we all do, but you know. Do you want to come with us?”

Neji preferred to go straight home and rest, but he knew that he would be home alone if he were to leave so early. Hinata was on a band trip, his father went to the office today, Hanabi had basketball practice after school, and he had yet another meeting to attend. “I have another club meeting, but I will come once it is over,” he answered.

“Okay. Come to think of it, you and Sasuke have both been acting weird,” she scrutinized the boy.

“I am only tired. I’m sure he is too.”

“Yeah, he takes accelerated classes – he might as well just graduate early and go to college – he works at the footwear store, plays football _and_ soccer, and his parents are telling him to join a club or something so he can really pack stuff onto his college resume,” Sakura sighed at imagining it all. “He must be exhausted. I don’t blame him; I wouldn’t have the energy to speak to anyone if I were running around the clock like that.”

. . .

The harsh sound of a whistle blared through the field, halting the players in their practice. The session had concluded, and the group made their way to the Uchiha who pretended not to see them in the bleachers. He removed his helmet as he heaved from the heavy work.

“Nice work!” Kiba complimented through his own heavy breaths, bumping an elbow to Sasuke’s shoulder who offered nothing in response.

“Let’s go out,” Ino suggested, “I’m thinking the dessert place next to the café.”

“No offense, but I just worked out, kinda want to eat something with meat,” Naruto said, wrapping an arm around Sasuke’s shoulders.

“There’s always the burger place by the grocery store,” Kiba pointed out.

. . .

“They added new stuff!” Naruto exclaimed.

“Do you have to yell everything you say?” Sakura spat.

“Sorry,” the dumb blond giggled.

“Yeah, look,” Kiba leaned past Ino to show Sakura the addition to the menu.

“Kiba, you smell,” Ino complained, urging the boy to sit back.

“What are you getting?” Sakura asked Neji who sat just next to her and had yet to pick up the menu.

Neji stared blankly to the table as he mentally revisited his concerns.

“Hey,” the pink-haired girl whispered towards him from behind the menu, “Shikamaru seemed a bit disappointed that you didn’t show for practice,” she smiled.

Neji looked to her curiously.

“Well, he looked to the bleachers for a bit before he realized you weren’t there, but he didn’t seem depressed over it or anything,” the girl clarified.

Neji nodded before checking his phone to see if anyone had been trying to contact him. Luckily, he opened his screen to no new messages. He lowered the phone to his pocket and looked to Sakura’s menu from over her shoulder.

“You’ve been checking your phone more often, too. Normally, you hate having the thing in your face constantly,” Sakura observed.

Neji prayed for the girl to stop dissecting his recent behavior. He knew that recent events must have changed his observable expressions and mannerisms, but he did not wish to have someone trying to get to the bottom of whatever it was. It was part of the reason why he had decided to simply let Sasuke sort himself out without intervening.

“Let’s talk about Sasuke’s tackles,” Kiba nearly shouted with enthusiasm.

“Yeah!” The Uzumaki followed a notch above Kiba.

“Your speed and force were insane. The way you threw that guy to the ground,” Kiba laughed, “he’s lucky he had a mouth guard, he would’ve gotten grass caught in every tooth.”

Naruto laughed boisterously as Kiba wrapped an overbearing arm around Sasuke whose gaze stuck to the table. His expression was duller than usual, and he hadn’t spoken since the group gathered on the field. All it took was one more thunderous laugh to come from Kiba before Sasuke violently shoved the Inuzuka from around him. Kiba fell against the Yamanaka who had not expected the weight, knocking her drink to the floor. Water and ice scattered across the diner’s tiles with a loud clack of the plastic cup.

“Kiba!” Ino shouted impatiently.

“Sasuke?” Sakura asked worriedly.

Neji looked to the Uchiha who rested his head in his hands, attempting to hide his face.

The group only stared silently, unsure of what to do. It was clear that Sakura wished to comfort him, but after the way the Uchiha pushed the loud boy from his shoulder, she was sure nothing she did would help. They could only watch. Sasuke didn’t answer a single one of their calls, touches or questions. The commotion had drawn attention to them, and every customer – some where peers from school – was watching them closely. Finally, Sasuke pulled his hood over his head before he slid out of the booth and closed himself off in the restroom towards the back of the restaurant.

. . .

The group had finished their meals and moved on to homework. Over an hour had passed, the water and ice had been cleaned up, but Sasuke had yet to return.

“Someone go check on him if he’s not answering texts,” Ino ordered.

The bell of the diner’s doors rang, announcing the arrival of a new customer only at first glance, it was easy to tell that the newcomer wouldn’t be ordering anything. He shot straight towards the restrooms, bypassing the group that had recognized him.

“Itachi?” Sakura questioned. His appearance meant that whatever was going on was serious. It was rare that they saw Itachi. The male rarely appeared to the boy’s games or events. He was a busy man with a packed schedule, but he just so happened to be the one Sasuke trusted most in their family. He would go to his elder brother before he went to anyone else.

The group turned to watch the doors of the bathroom as the two Uchiha emerged from the back. Sasuke’s hair had been disheveled from the force of which he placed the hood over his head. His eyes and nose were red – they were the biggest indicator that the boy had in fact been crying and rather hard it seemed. It was an odd and discomforting display given that the ravenette hadn’t expressed the simplest of emotions for some time leading up to that moment.

The two walked right past the group without sparing a glance or word. They watched as the Uchiha climbed into Itachi’s vehicle and left the rest in shock.

“I hope he’ll be okay,” Sakura said as she looked back to her study guide.

“What the fuck was that?” Kiba frowned.

“Beats me,” Naruto shrugged.

“Don’t be insensitive,” Ino elbowed Kiba as payback for falling against her, “Obviously he’s upset over something. When he’s ready to talk, then he’ll talk.”

“His parents were forcing too much on him,” Sakura bit on the tip of her pen, “it was probably some sort of breakdown.”

The group collectively silenced themselves as different opinions ran through each mind.

“We should get him something!” Naruto suggested.

“Like what and when? We need to give him time to calm down,” Ino said.

“Uh,” Naruto paused, “Doesn’t he like tomatoes?”

“You can’t give someone a tomato as a gift,” Sakura disagreed. “Kiba?”

“Don’t look at me, I don’t know what he likes,” the Inuzuka shook his head.

“But he’s your friend,” Sakura deadpanned.

“You’re the one asking like you don’t have a clue either,” the doggish boy raised a brow.

“Neji?” Ino asked.

Neji kept his lips sealed as he peered through the window of their seating area. He had spotted a jet black, tinted van that was not the same SUV from the dance studio but gave off the same eerie air. It paralyzed him.

“Neji?” Sakura called.

“Don’t start crying on us too,” Kiba complained.

Neji’s mouth grew dry. He figured the driver was waiting to confront Neji once he was alone. He took out his phone and sent a text to the Nara.

_‘Are you being watched?’_

“Neji!” Naruto called.

The Hyuga looked to the boy.

“Thank you, we’ve called you a thousand times,” Ino crossed her legs, “What should we get Sasuke?”

Neji shook his head cluelessly as his own foot began to bob nervously. They truly had no clue as to how much ground their watchers covered. The different area codes of the numbers and the two different vehicles keeping an eye on them only pushed it to the front of Neji’s concerns. There was no escaping them.

Neji shook his head of the thought and looked to the textbook before him that sat untouched before a message vibrated his cellular. It was a photo sent by the Nara. It was a bit blurry, but clear enough for Neji to capture the features. He widened his eyes. The man in the photo was strikingly similar to his father only his hair was long, similar to Neji’s and he had more facial hair. Though he looked much like Hiashi, he seemed to be the polar opposite. The man in the image seemed to be disorganized and rather unkempt. The longer Neji looked, the more haunting it became. He typed questions regarding the photo and sent them back to back, shutting himself off from his current social situation.

“Neji.”

He locked his phone to be sure that the text discussion remained private.

“Should we study chapter seven?” Sakura asked.

Neji glanced through the window to see that the vehicle had left some time back before nodding and turning to the necessary page in his textbook, keeping his phone in hand.


	17. Chapter 17

Neji parked the car in the driveway of the Nara’s house before rushing to the door. He gave the wood a couple of good knocks and waited for an answer. The Hyuga crossed his arms and turned to observe his surroundings. Nothing told him he was being watched, still he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling. He then looked to the weeds and long grass that stuck out in the lawn. Neji never took the Nara to be one for keeping up with such a thing, so it did not surprise him. He decided that too much time had passed since he knocked, so Neji pounded against the door a few more times until he heard it unlock from the other end.

Outstepped Shikamaru who stood shirtless with a relatively short wooden necklace hanging around his neck. He looked as though he had just awoken if his bed head was anything to go off of. He stepped to the side to allow Neji to enter before shutting the door.

Neji had been trying to contact the Nara all day once he realized he hadn’t seen Shikamaru in the halls. As soon as class released, he shot to Shikamaru’s house as quickly as he could. Neji looked the lazy boy up and down. It felt like mockery for the boy to have only been enjoying an undeserved day off rather than had been kidnapped.

“I have been messaging you all day,” Neji informed right off.

“Sorry,” the Nara rubbed his neck.

Neji stared to the boy whose eyes wandered elsewhere before deciding that all he could do was accept the ingenuine apology and get to more important matters. “Have you been here all day?” He asked, dropping his arms to his sides.

“Yeah, missed the bus. I’m not used to catching it. I went to bed last night and forgot my car was out of commission. By the time I was ready, the bus was leaving the area,” he shrugged, “But I did catch up on a bunch of sleep before getting a ride over for cheer practice,” he admitted.

“Which is why you have not answered my texts?” Neji questioned.

“Yeah, I just woke up. My phone was dead. I put it on the charger a few minutes ago. You wanna talk about it now or do you want me to read the messages when my phone comes back on?” Shikamaru asked as he wandered into the kitchen. Neji followed him.

“We can discuss it.”

“M’kay,” Shikamaru answered as he gazed through old wooden cabinets.

Neji watched the nonchalant boy as he rummaged through the dry snacks, “Has Kankuro gone out yet?”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru remembered before shutting the cabinet door and moving past the Hyuga through the doorway and down the hall towards his bedroom. Neji waited for him in the kitchen. As the boy looked for the money, the Hyuga looked to the dated television that played something with an opening song that was oddly familiar to him. He stepped towards the screen as monster trucks sped through a dirt field on the television. The song had a tune that Neji found himself recognizing only he could not pinpoint where he had heard or seen the footage.

“Got it,” Shikamaru said as he approached the elder. “Like monster trucks?” He asked looking from Neji to the screen with a lazy grin.

Neji knew the boy knew the answer to that, so he didn’t bother to answer, “Thank you.”

“Yeah. I don’t even know what this is, it’s just on,” Shikamaru admitted before sitting in a kitchen chair and raising the remote to change the channel.

“Do you know where I go to deliver the money?”

“No clue. Text them.”

Neji took his phone from his pants pocket and composed the message before stalling to send it. If he were to wait a bit to notify them of the task’s completion, it was possible that he could have the remainder of the week worry-free. He locked his screen and put his phone away. He thanked the Nara a second time before turning to leave when a white Persian cat walked across his feet, rubbing itself against his leg. “Your mother is out of town?”

“Yeah for the rest of the week. I’m looking for a pet sitter for when I leave for Suna,” the Nara said as he watched how the cat showed every bit of her love and affection towards Neji. The Hyuga leaned down to stroke the cat as it purred quietly.

Shikamaru never got that reaction out of the cat.

“What is her name?” Neji asked, keeping his back to the Nara.

“Pearl.”

Neji fully sat against the kitchen floor as he silently pet the cat. “She is not as annoying as you had described her to be.”

“Yeah, because she likes you.”

“Does she not like you?” Neji asked, rubbing the cat’s belly.

“No which is a drag considering I’m how she gets her food.”

“Maybe you do not give her enough attention?”

Shikamaru scoffed, “I know I don’t.”

“Why don’t you?” Neji questioned, looking to the Nara over his shoulder.

“Rather not,” the younger said before clicking the television off. He then stood and stared to the Hyuga who continued petting the cat with his undivided attention. Shikamaru rubbed his neck a second time.

“Did I miss anything today?” The Nara questioned, knowing he didn’t care.

“No,” Neji informed, “Did they come back during cheer?”

Shikamaru wondered who they were exactly before remembering the football team, “Oh, yeah. They asked me to show them the steps this time. It was a drag.”

Neji shook his head, “I will speak to them. I doubt that my word would do much of anything.”

“Neji,” the Nara dropped his shoulders, “Kiba and Naruto seem kinda homophobic. Aren’t you known school-wide?” The Nara tried to ease into what he was trying to say.

Neji only stared up to him from where he sat against the floor. “They have not bothered me that way.”

“Yeah, maybe not _you_ but they were quick with the comments. You saw how they clowned me the other day. Today it was worse if I’m being honest,” Shikamaru looked to Pearl after having enough of the Hyuga’s hard gaze, “I mean think about it. There are reasons why they wouldn’t mess with you, but there are other kids that I’m sure they mess with.”

Neji narrowed his eyes, feeling more defensive than he would like. He did not appreciate the Nara giving his own perception of his friends, but he could not fight against the boy’s word. Neji had in fact seen a fraction of it himself at the last cheer practice. They have not always exactly been nonjudgmental of such things; the two had to learn. Unfortunately, it seemed as though they hadn’t. “What do you want me to do?” Neji asked defensively.

Shikamaru dropped his hands into his pockets before shutting his eyes. He honestly shrugged as expected.

Neji simply kept his eyes on the boy for some silent moments before standing, “Thank you for helping me,” he said, placing the money into his pocket.

Shikamaru nodded before walking the Hyuga out.

Neji stepped down the doorsteps and looked around as he approached his car. He climbed in and looked to the Nara’s front door. He felt a sort of irritation and had directed it towards Shikamaru. He did not want to believe that his friends would still be stuck in their old ways from previous grades. He told himself that it did not concern him and that he should not spend so much time thinking about something like it. Half of him was simply in denial while the other half recognized this. He exhaled steadily before fixing his rearview mirror.

. . .

His phone rang noisily in the dark that Neji found himself in upon waking up at his desk. His eyes shot up at being startled by the sudden loud noise. He looked to his phone to see an unknown number. He figured it was in his best interest to answer.

“Hello?” Neji rasped.

“Meet me at the park.” It sounded like his father. Perhaps he had gotten a new phone, “Hurry.”

Neji’s eyes widened. He worried that his hesitance to turn in the money had placed Hiashi in danger, so he rushed to slide his feet into the nearest pair of shoes before shooting out of his room to find that the doors to his father’s room were shut as they usually were so late at night. He slowly held the phone to his ear, “Who is this?” He finally asked.

“Just come here,” the man on the other line whispered. “If you don’t, we’re both fucked!”

It was odd hearing his father’s voice mouth such foul language. Neji furrowed his brows and approached his father’s double doors before slowly turning the knob and peeking in. He squinted to find that there was a mass in the bed. He then crept into the bedroom after ending the call. Upon reaching his father’s bed side, he found that Hiashi was in fact sleeping soundly in his bed which further confused the male. He inched back out, pausing periodically before making his way out. Neji rushed down the steps as he redialed the number. He punched the security code in, deactivating the system before leaving the house. He prayed that the chime of the alarm being deactivated didn’t wake his father, but he figured that there was much more at stake if he did not meet this person sooner rather than later.

“Oh, thank the gods, I thought you weren’t coming,” the man said. His voice almost sounded tearful.

“How can I trust you?” Neji asked.

There was a pause. It put the Hyuga on edge. Neji stopped walking and looked back to his house where he considered hiding out for the rest of the night.

“You got me, okay? All I can do is promise you that we need each other if we even think we’ll get through this thing alive,” the stranger warned.

His words intimidated the male, so Neji continued along his path. “Who are you?” He asked.

There was another staticky pause. It was disheartening causing Neji’s feet to slow. He was taking a risk. The person waiting for him in the park could be his saving grace or it could be his end.

“Look, I have a deal for you, I just want to talk in person not over the phone,” his voice grew quieter and quieter as though he were afraid of being heard. Whoever it was, was clearly being threatened just like Neji. It helped to know that the two may have been in the same boat. Still, Neji looked to the grass by the sidewalk and lifted a fist-sized rock just in case he needed to defend himself. He supposed that if the deal came with more threats than advantages, then he could always turn it down. Not even the man on the other line sounded too confident in his current state of safety.

“I will meet you at the park,” Neji decided. Anything that means keeping his family safe.

. . .

Neji approached the wired fencing of the old park that contained equipment that had been tainted by mother nature’s ever changing weather and temperature conditions over the years. There was a simple slide attached to swings that neighbored a sand pit with a few toys. They were the toys that kids had left behind. Neji peered through the gate opening for the man. He grew nervous at not being able to find him and began to believe it was a set up.

“Hey! Pst!” A voice whispered. Neji looked around to find a fully grown man climbing out of the tube slide. Neji entered the park grounds slowly, careful to keep his distance. He kept the rock behind his back as he eyed the stranger.

The man struggled to crawl out. His long hair was a mess from the slide’s static. He looked towards the younger exposing his beard and worry shot eyes. Still the man smiled, “Hey,” he repeated breathily from squeezing himself from the tube slide.

Neji said nothing.

The man stepped out into the moonlight that illuminated his features. The features, though belonging to a complete stranger, were all too familiar. Neji took a step back as he studied the man in shock.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do…” the man began.

“Who are you?” Neji asked.

“Look, just listen. These guys have been on me for years. All I’m thinking is we could split up the work,” he placed his hands against his chest as his shoulders shot up, “I can do the hard stuff, hard stuff’s easy after so long. Long as you keep doing the little small things, we can work things out easy.” It didn’t sound as if the man had a plan to escape the life of a criminal, rather it sounded as though he were trying to adjust to it. “It sounds like you’re off to a good start anyways. You’re smart.”

“Who are you?” Neji repeated mindlessly. His eyes continued to scrutinize every aspect of the man.

The stranger’s optimistic expression dropped. The man rubbed a hand down his face as he turned his back.

Neji took another step back, gripping the rock tightly.

“Neji…” the man began.

The younger froze at the sound of his name being pronounced by a voice that was strikingly similar to his own father’s. Neji side eyed him.

The man sighed, keeping his back to the boy, “I’m sorry for all the stuff you’ve gone through. I’m sorry I couldn’t be better. You don’t even recognize me, and I figured it was for the best, but since we’re doing this together,” he turned to look at Neji who held a rock over his head.

The man fell instantly and began to crawl back, “Whoa! Whoa! I’m Hizashi! My name is Hizashi! I’m your father, Neji! I’m sorry! Please! Please!” He cried out.

Neji froze. His eyes wide. He stared down to the trembling man who cowered against the playground’s woodchips. The Hyuga lowered the rock to his side. “You’re… what?”

“I’m your dad,” the man admitted pitifully, “I’m your real dad,” his voice quaked uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He still felt as though he was at the boy’s mercy who had yet to drop the large stone.

None of his apologies or begging made it to Neji’s conscious. He was his father. Neji did not want to believe him, but the man was the spitting image of Hiashi. The stranger’s name was Hizashi. Neji slowly shook his head.

“Neji,” the man swallowed thickly, “please,” his breaths quick from the scare, “You have to listen to me, we need each other.”

Neji’s head quickened its shakes as he began a backwards step. He didn’t believe it. He didn’t want it.

“Neji!”

Neji turned and made for the park entrance when he heard the stranger rise from the ground. The Hyuga assumed the man might begin to chase him, so he ran. He ran on the sidewalk in the pitch-black night. He didn’t believe it. He didn’t slow down. He didn’t want it. He didn’t look back. Hiashi Hyuga was his father. He thought back to the man who stood identical to Hiashi. No. He didn’t believe it. He should have never come out. He should have stayed in and dismissed the call. He should have been asleep. Meeting the stranger was not worth it. His father did not have a twin. His father did not have a brother. His father did not have siblings of any kind; he was an only child raised by Neji’s grandfather alone.

Neji was not the son of Hizashi.


	18. Chapter 18

Neji finally reached a point to where the house was visible from a distance, however the lights were on. It seemed as though each room’s window was lit up, and his steps slowed. He heaved and spun his head around to look for Hizashi. Neji crossed his arms as his head swiveled from place to place only to turn back towards the house at the sound of his father’s car starting. He closed his eyes pained by the consequences that were soon to come. His phone then rang in his pocket. He exhaled sharply, now impatient with everyone around him. He ripped the phone from his pants and looked to the screen, brushing stray strands from his face.

_‘don’t tell Hiashi, he’ll get the police involved! They work for those guys; we’ll both be dead!’_

Neji felt his knees nearly buckle at the feeling of hopelessness becoming overwhelming. He had yet to catch his breath. He didn’t want to admit that the man’s story was believable, but his voice, his face, his overall structure was too similar to Hiashi’s. Neji looked to the headlights that grew closer and closer. He locked his phone and dropped his head in defeat.

Hiashi’s SUV drove in a u-turn until he rounded to a point of speaking to Neji directly through his car window.

“What in the world are you doing out here?!” Hiashi barked. “Did you not think I would hear the alarm disarming?! The only reason I’m out here is because I never heard you reset it! You would think that if you were trying to sneak out, you would be smarter!”

Neji kept his head lowered.

“You brought your phone which gives me your exact location at all times, and you could not have even thought to leave it behind?! What the hell is out here for you?! Who were you meeting?!” Hiashi stuck his head out of the window, “Who?!” He put the car in park, “I can wait.”

The two sat silently for some moments before Neji looked up to the man. The gaze was ominous, threatening even. However, Hiashi did not take it that way.

“Why do you look at me as if I am in the wrong when you were the one who left the house unannounced without any good apparent reason?! Answer me, boy!”

Neji couldn’t. He wanted to ask the questions that stuck to the back of his front teeth, yet it would mean immediate danger. He wanted so much to say that Hiashi was, in fact, the one in the wrong. The man had not told him the truth of what Hizashi said was true if it were true that is. The stranger may be Hiashi’s brother – that much was clear – but that did not necessarily mean Neji was the man’s son. He thought back to the man’s rugged appearance. Hizashi wore a baggy, oversized tan combat jacket with fingerless gloves. His hair was matted and mostly tied in a low, loose bun with countless hairs astray. His facial hair was unruly, and his pants were sweats that seemed to be three sizes too big. He was thinner than Hiashi, but the resemblance couldn’t be denied even by Neji who wished nothing else to be more untrue. Hizashi smelled of cigarettes and alcohol, akin to failure that he had been trying to dull down through the two. He had been hidden from Neji for seventeen years yet Hiashi barks to him about being secretive, about being wrong. Now, Hizashi was presenting himself, forcing himself into Neji’s life in an incredibly disrupting manner that would be sure to interfere with how he lived from then on. If Neji had known about his father, about his story, and why he should be avoided at all costs, maybe he would not have stopped for Shikamaru. Maybe he would not have reminded the criminals of his very existence in order for them to use him as a pawn if that was what had happened. Nothing made sense. He wanted to blame someone, but truly, who could he blame?

“Since you don’t seem to have any answers, get into the car. I will decide your punishment tomorrow. Until I say you can, you cannot use the car. Take the bus tomorrow,” Hiashi ordered.

Neji climbed into the passenger seat and shut the door weakly as the thoughts raged on. He unlocked his phone, and the glow caught the attention of the man in the driver’s seat.

“I would take your phone, but kids these days seem to be incapable of being successful in school without it,” the man said. It had been the quietest he had spoken since pulling to the side of the road. “Was is Shikamaru?”

“No,” Neji wished Hiashi would stop guessing what he had been doing out so late.

“What were you doing at the park? Why could you not simply ask me if it were alright to meet someone during the day?”

Neji slightly lifted his head only to look to the dashboard. He felt Hiashi’s eyes flick to him briefly before gripping the steering wheel even tighter.

Neji looked through his window and the more his head repeated the entirety of his situation, the further he sunk into his seat.

“Sit up,” Hiashi ordered.

Neji did not move. He continued to look to the window as the houses and their streetlights passed.

“You have got too much nerve tonight, Neji. Sit up! I will not tell you again!”

Neji flinched at the roughness of his voice. He could hear the raw anger being forced from his chest, so he followed through with what the man had told him.

Finally, the two parked in the driveway.

“You know what I told you, follow the punishment or I will add to it!”

Neji only opened the car door, climbed out, and slammed it shut.

Hiashi didn’t take kindly to being ignored so he was quick to unfasten his seatbelt and slam his own car door shut. By that point, Neji was rushing inside and up the steps.

“You have lost your mind! I told you that Shikamaru boy was a terrible influence on you! Now look at you! You’re acting like you grew up on the streets!” Hiashi belted, causing the girls to come out of their rooms to inspect the situation.

Neji spun around to lean over the top of the stair railing, “He is _not_ the one at fault!” He yelled before slamming the door shut, knowing it wouldn’t better his situation. There was so much he had to deal with right then and there that it was welling up inside of him with no where to go. His phone chimed causing him to freeze with either hand on the side of his head at being overwhelmed by the same sound signifying nothing but what seemed to be torture. He ripped the phone from his pocket and threw it towards the wall, hitting the lamp shade. The lamp shade tipped to the side after being dented, and the phone clacked against the floor. Neji immediately felt embarrassed from the display of uncontrollable emotion. He calmed his breath and shut his eyes long enough for him not to have an outburst at the littlest of movements or sounds. He approached the phone and lifted it from the ground. His neck craned backward as he tried to control the anxiety that arose at receiving a message. He inhaled deeply before looking to the screen.

_‘Anyone got the homework answers?’ Kiba._

. . .

The bus doors screeched open and Neji looked to the steps with reluctance. He hadn’t seen them for some years and did not miss the sight. He stepped on to the vehicle then looked from seat to seat to find that there were a couple of empty spots in the back that had yet to be filled with the route’s seniors. Luckily, he was one of the earliest stops, so he thanked the gods for the small break as he moved towards the back. He looked through the back window to see his house as it disappeared in the distance. He watched his father’s SUV as it sat in the driveway motionlessly. A sour feeling made itself known in his stomach. He had avoided his father all morning and limited contact, eye contact included. The man had been just as silent. Neji counted himself lucky to not have his definite punishment laid out for him before leaving for the school day; he did not need to add anything to the rest of his concerns.

The bus emerged from the neighborhood. Neji watched as the bus turned further away from the school’s direction as opposed to towards it. He supposed the bus was rather empty because the vehicle was just beginning its route, so he sat back in his seat and opened his binder to begin working on what he didn’t get to last night. It was difficult with how unstable the bus ride proved itself to be. Neji had almost forgotten that aspect of it. He tried to rush through the problems, but slowly, it became hard to focus. Looking to the paper began to strain him in a way he had forgotten about. It had happened before, so he usually took a break, but he could not afford to do so now. He could not tell what time they would reach the school, and it was the first thing he had to turn in once he arrived, so he pushed through the feeling and continued to the next question.

The bus grew louder as more kids boarded the bus. It did nothing to help his focus. His eyes weakly rolled shut before peering back to his paper realizing an error in his math. He let out a faint breath before he felt the seat dip to the side. His eyes narrowed at the inconvenience of someone choosing to sit with him of all people. He looked to the newcomer with hostility only to find Shikamaru Nara lowering his own bag to the ground. Neji furrowed his brows with heavy lids. “You ride this bus?” He asked quietly.

Shikamaru took the binder from the Hyuga’s lap and placed it on his own, “Yeah,” he said before taking the pencil.

“What are you…”

“You look kinda sick. I’ll just do the rest,” the younger said before grabbing his own calculator and getting to work.

Neji didn’t have the strength to fight. He lifted his bag to sit in his lap before lying his head against his luggage. He closed his eyes and breathed through his mouth as it began to water. He swallowed thickly. It was definitely nausea from motion sickness.

“You need the trashcan?” Shikamaru asked, looking to him.

Neji buried his face into his bag as he shook his head slowly.

. . .

Shikamaru stood outside of the bathroom stall where Neji made sure his stomach had fully settled. Nothing came up, so he unlocked the stall and stepped out.

Shikamaru uncrossed his ankles and leaned away from the bathroom wall, “Anything?”

Neji shook his head tiredly before Shikamaru handed him his finished page of homework. Neji took it then looked to the Nara, “How did you know the material?”

“I take higher classes. We could have the same math class period, but we’ve got a different teacher,” Shikamaru explained.

“You might as well graduate,” Neji commented as he packed the sheet into his bag.

“I am,” the boy said from behind him.

Neji froze at that before looking over his shoulder, “You are graduating early?”

Shikamaru sucked in his lips awkwardly before nodding.

It was impressive. Neji would have never thought the boy was up for the rigor of such an accelerated path, but if you were bright enough to slack in a class and still excel, then one might as well take the tougher classes.

Shikamaru cleared his throat, “So what’s up?”

“What do you mean?” Neji asked.

“You seem…”

Neji spun to look directly to the Nara stopping the younger midsentence. His stare was hard due to his tension from the previous night being pointed out so easily. His eyes then lowered towards the floor of the bathroom, softening themselves as he told himself to not be offensive towards the very boy who had saved him a grade. Neji then tossed his bag over his shoulder as he thought about what to say. He then settled on giving the boy his phone so Shikamaru could view the messages from Hizashi.

“Is this the new number you were talking about?” He asked.

Neji nodded.

“Weird,” the Nara commented as he read. “What does the guy want?”

Neji crossed his arms as he viewed the messages for a time he could not count at that point. He began to visualize every moment of which he received each text. His eyes grew dull as he thought over the man’s confession.

“He says he is my father,” Neji finally got out through a hushed voice.

Shikamaru looked to Neji to make sure what he had heard had been serious. The way Neji looked to his side and tightened the fold of his arms told the Nara that the elder male had not been cracking a joke. It was ridiculous for him to ever think Neji would.

“It’s a random number; you can’t trust what the guy says,” Shikamaru began.

“No, but it is convincing when he is the spitting image of my father,” Neji placed a hand over his eyes. “Even if he is not my father, there was still an extreme resemblance, meaning there could be a blood relation somewhere.”

Shikamaru ran out of things to possibly pin it on and shut the Hyuga’s phone off. It had to have been the man from the store he had seen the other day. The school bell sounded, telling the two that class would start in five minutes. He handed the phone back to Neji who was reluctant to take it. He only stared to the black screen before taking it and slipping it into his back pocket.

The two exited the bathroom. Shikamaru walked Neji to class silently, unsure if it would be appropriate to touch a new topic. Neither of them had much to discuss outside of their joined situations, and that would not exactly ease either of them into their days. Outside of that, they did not know each other. So, Shikamaru simply sided by Neji on the way to the Hyuga’s first period and the two departed with a simple look paired with a nod before Shikamaru debated on making his way to his own class.


	19. Chapter 19

“Can I have Neji Hyuga to the office please?”

The teacher looked to Neji, signaling for him to go after the call disrupted the lesson. Neji stood, though Sakura and Omoi both questioned if everything was alright. He simply left speechlessly and made his way through the school halls. After some minutes he reached the office and opened the doors, expecting to see a strict Hiashi ready to lay down his finalized punishment only to find a worn down Hizashi sitting in a waiting seat. The two locked eyes. Neji froze as the man shot up from his seat. An extra jacket hung in the hook of Hizashi’s arm as his eyes begged neji to talk.

“What are you doing here?” Neji hissed not caring about the receptionist who eyed the two. The man had been crazy enough to pass himself off as Hiashi Hyuga in order to reach the boy without going to Neji’s house directly.

“Neji, please, I am begging you,” Hizashi began lowly.

Neji only spun on his heel as an anxious feeling began to pick up at the odd man who seemed to be following him from place to place. He already knew his phone number, his location, and his name yet he knew so little of the man who looked so similar to his father who he thought he had known his entire life. The boy swung the office doors open as Hizashi followed.

“Sir?” The receptionist began only to be ignored.

“Neji,” he called.

“No,” Neji said as he started towards the school’s main staircase.

“I named you, you know! I wasn’t lying! I’m telling the truth! I can help you, Neji just…”

Neji paused halfway up the stairs. He supposed Hizashi would be the only way he could learn some truth even if said truth were all fabricated. He needed some sort of explanation. He turned to look to the man who stood at the bottom of the stairs looking like the beggar Neji figured he was. Neji frowned as he thought it all over.

“Please,” Hizashi begged shamelessly.

“Sir,” the receptionist approached now joined by a man in hopes of ensuring Neji’s safety. “It just seems like he doesn’t want you here, would you be so kind as to leave?”

“It is fine. He is picking me up. I was only gathering my belongings,” Neji explained before continuing up the steep steps.

. . .

The two sat on a bench, facing outside of an ice cream shop. Hizashi had bought both cups, and they sat silently as they watched the cars speed up and down the streets. The wind rustled the trees as the summer bugs buzzed piercingly. Neji’s mind continued to wrestle within itself. He was unsure whether his accepting the stranger’s invitation was smart or not. His judgement had been faltered by recent events. Oddly, the two had ordered the same flavor: salted caramel. Neji avoided looking to the man, and as far as he was concerned, Hizashi returned the favor. Birds cawed as either of them thought of ways to fill the silence.

“Neji…”

“Who are you?” Neji spat, turning his head to the man next to him.

Hizashi’s eyes widened then dropped at the boy’s harsh tone, “Okay,” he laughed nervously, “I’m Hizashi, Hizashi… Hyuga.”

Neji frowned before looking away from the man in first denial, then disbelief then sorrow before being enraged at such a thing, “How can I trust you?” Neji spat. “I have never heard of you. My father has no brother.”

Hizashi then held his arm out, making Neji lean away at the sudden proximity. The man looked into his eyes, “I’m not here to hurt you.” He then began to roll up his sleeve to reveal a sloppy job of a tattoo and there etched to his skin was in fact Neji’s name. It winded Neji. He had no idea how to take it. He studied it intensely.

“It’s marker,” Neji tried.

Hizashi sighed as he shook his head. He then licked his thumb and tried to rub it off. It stuck right to his skin without a bit of ink smudging out of place. Much to Neji’s dismay, the tattoo looked rather old. It was small, but still noticeable.

“Your mother had one,” Hizashi added with a faint smile.

Neji looked to him at the mention of his mother. “My mother is…”

“She got away. I wanted her to. She ran away from the life, the only life I could give her. I bought her the only ticket I could afford for the next flight out of the country and told her not to look back. By then, you were already gone.”

“I was gone?” Neji asked.

“You don’t remember, do you? You were so little,” Hizashi shook his head before turning back towards the road, “Your mom and I decided to give you up because of how dangerous everything was. You were only two or three, I don’t know,” he limply threw up a defeated hand. “I begged Hiashi to take you. He said no the first couple thousand times. He told me it was my own mess and that my kid was a reason to turn my life around, but it wasn’t that easy. Of course, my brother didn’t know that. He just figured I got myself into some shit that could be stopped with the snap of my fingers,” he leaned his elbows against his knees, “And if I could, believe me I would! You, your mother and I would be living in a house just as nice as the one you’re in now. I’d be at work, your mom would be wondering what to make for dinner – she loved food – you’d be at school, the one you’re at now. You would be close to your cousins. Hiashi and I always made that promise to have our kids become best friends in the future.”

Neji stopped listening when Hizashi referred to Hanabi and Hinata as his cousins.

“My uncle?”

Hizashi looked to Neji questionably, “Oh, yeah. Hiashi,” he remembered the information was all new to the boy; he should slow down.

“Hiashi is my uncle?” Neji asked more clearly. He looked to the man who claimed to be his long-lost father. Hizashi looked to his own gloved hands. It was odd for the coverage in the blazing summer heat. Nothing about him sat right with Neji. The younger Hyuga’s stare drifted to the sidewalk concrete between his feet.

“I’m sorry, Neji. I’m sorry you had to see the things you did for the time you spent with me. You were exposed to too much violence in the first few of your years. We figured it would be best if you just never saw me. Why make that emotional connection if something could happen to me in the blink of an eye, you know?” He made a point. He looked to the boy next to him who sat alarmingly still. Hizashi sighed into his hand before rubbing it down his face.

He was exposed to violence at a young age. Neji remembered when he would play with Hinata, but it would get out of hand. He would hurt her quite often, even when they were small enough to bathe together. He would dunk the girl’s head under water and only let her up once she began to run out of bubbles. He had thrown items at the girl and rough housed even if the girl ran. He was punished frequently as a child without understanding why. However, after some time he began to learn right from wrong, and Hiashi began to trust him to be around his daughter again.

Neji’s eyes wandered across the side of the elder male. He eyed the man’s worn clothing and apparently poor state of health wondering what this new life would do to himself next. He inhaled to steady himself before rising to a stiff stand, grabbing his bag, tossing his ice cream into the trashcan, and continuing down the sidewalk. His walk was fueled by something he had never felt before. He felt an odd disgust and confusion. He felt out of place. Neji looked into the direction of his school only to feel disheartened. He just wanted to go home, but Hiashi was working from home that day.

“Neji!” Hizashi called.

Neji continued walking away from the odd man, but Hizashi had ran towards him and took no time to catch up.

“Here,” he placed something in front of Neji’s line of passage. The Hyuga kept his gaze straight as the scent of the cigarettes wafted over him. His eyes flickered toward the small slip of paper only to be incapable of removing themselves. It was an old photo of himself. He was in a diaper, slightly over one year old. Ice cream covered his mouth and he awkwardly held a spoon that was far too big for him. It was him without a doubt. It only further horrified Neji. He turned to face the man with pained eyes.

“Just go,” Neji said.

“No, I can’t. You need my help,” Hizashi started.

“Not right now I am sure,” Neji said before taking his leave a second time. He needed somewhere to collect himself. He looked to the café across the street only to find a black SUV parked at the red light of the intersection, so he continued walking. He didn’t know where to go. He was not safe anywhere, and the weight of his bag was beginning to weigh him down.

His phone went off.

Neji looked back to the black SUV that still sat at the red light and realized it was a different one from the one that normally watched their every move. Not only that, but the windows also weren’t as dark. The driver wasn’t their stalker. In the front seat sat a rather small, elderly lady who might have been on her way to collect groceries, but certainly not to terrorize anyone. He was paranoid. The text was most likely Hizashi begging him to come back to sort through the deal he proposed, so he was tempted to disregard it. However, in the end Neji looked to his phone because it could have been his father realizing Neji had left school grounds.

_‘You good?’ Delivered by Shikamaru._

It was a relief. Neji’s nerves calmed a bit before he thought some things over.

_‘Is your front door locked?’_

_‘There’s a key under the stone by the porch stairs,’ Shikamaru._

Neji appreciated that the boy did not ask any further questions. Then again, Neji appreciated the boy in general.

. . .

Neji stood on the sidewalk before the Nara’s house. He sighed before walking towards the stone Shikamaru had mentioned earlier. He spotted a message carved into the rock that read ‘here for a good time, not a long time’. It was strange, then again, the boy was strange and most likely came from a family that was not exactly normal. He lifted the rock and found the key lightly buried in dirt. He guessed the key hadn’t been used in some time since the Nara did keep a copy on himself throughout the day. Neji stepped up to the door and unlocked it, gaining access to the inside.

As soon as he entered, Pearl trotted up to him and greeted Neji with a rub against his leg. He patted her against the head before continuing to the kitchen, placing his bag on the counter that faced the living room. He looked to the stove for the time only to find that the stove was rather dated and did not have the clock feature similar to the microwave, so he looked to his own phone. It was still morning. He would have been in third period right now.

Neji exited the kitchen and entered the living room through the crocheted curtain where he sat properly against the couch as he looked around. There was no television because of one being in the kitchen, so he looked to what he guessed their other source of entertainment might be. He rose from the couch and closed in on the book case where he found the different discs, records, and books. He lifted a pair of old, worn white shoes to retrieve a book that lied right underneath. He read the title after blowing a bit of dust from the cover. He then read through the summary on the back. The book was about a serial killer that fell in love. He raised a brow before retreating to the couch to read through it.

. . .

Neji woke up to the smell of something cooking. He opened his eyes to a room that had been tinted by the dimness of the half hour before evening. Neji had fallen asleep on the couch and dropped the book to the ground. Pearl rested on the floor by the sofa, close to Neji as she napped. He slowly rose to a stand, careful not to wake the cat before walking into the kitchen. He could tell his eyes spoke on his grogginess. He looked to Shikamaru who stirred a small saucepan underneath the warm kitchen light.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Neji asked, searching for the time.

“Didn’t want to.”

“I have to be home, I…” Neji paused as he scrolled through his messages. There were a number from Hizashi simply begging for him to discuss things with him. Some were from his friend group chat asking where Neji had been at lunch. Of course, his father had contacted him regarding his location, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly irritated by the man being angry towards him when Hiashi was the one who had been worse once the bigger picture was factored in. Neji couldn’t help but think of the man as a father after all of this time, a strict, emotionally unavailable, stern father. The Hyuga sighed before placing his phone into his pocket.

“Want some?” Shikamaru asked, presenting an unknown, orange sauce that seemed to have a cream base and bits of unidentifiable meat in it.

“No thank you,” Neji declined wearily.

Shikamaru poured the rest into his own bowl before grabbing corn chips and tossing them into the bowl along with it. “So, are you about to go?”

“I need to,” Neji said.

“Okay,” Shikamaru said before leaving the kitchen and heading to his bedroom. “Have you seen Pearl?” He called out from the back.

“She is in the living room,” Neji answered.

“Did you feed her?”

Neji furrowed his brows wondering why he would do that. The cat was not his to look after yet the feline appeared to think so.

Shikamaru came back into the kitchen and retrieved some sort of fancy cat food from the refrigerator, opening the can to pour into the cat’s bowl. “So, have you found anything else out?”

“Yes. He said I was taken in by Hiashi who is truly my uncle. Hizashi claims that he has been leading the very life that we have just begun, and it was too dangerous to keep me back then. So, I lived my entire life thinking that my uncle was my biological father,” Neji said.

Again, Shikamaru was speechless.

“Do not say anything,” Neji dismissed, “I do not know what to do. If I tell my father… if I tell him about Hizashi, he will go to the police undoubtably.”

“Then, don’t. It’s too risky. He’s just gonna have to be clueless about his brother being back in town,” Shikamaru put simply. “Shit,” he cursed at spotting the infamous black SUV parked a couple doors down. He closed the kitchen blinds and walked back into the kitchen. “Might wanna give them their money.”

Neji could admit that he was probably right. Stalling fate had no purpose other than extending the suspense. “Perhaps.” He walked towards the living room where the Nara lied on the couch with the bowl sitting on the hand carved table.

“So, what’s going on with Sasuke?”

“You know?” Neji questioned.

“Ino was there, wasn’t she?” Shikamaru reminded the Hyuga of the social butterfly. Neji silently admitted to Shikamaru’s point yet again.

“We have not heard from him. I do not believe he was at school today,” Neji said.

Shikamaru moved his legs from the couch, expecting the Hyuga to take a seat which Neji did. “Well, if you need to do any work, I have a computer in my room. Password is my birthday.” He said it as though he expected the elder to know such a thing. Neji narrowed his eyes.

“What…”

“It’s my birthday,” the Nara repeated.

“Have you told me when your birthday is?”

“No, you don’t need to know. It’s just the words ‘my’ and ‘birthday’,” Shikamaru explained.

Neji did not even know why he asked as if he were staying long enough to finish his load of work in the house. He looked to Shikamaru’s lazy grin at his own joke, “You are not funny.”


	20. Chapter 20

Neji sat at Shikamaru’s desk and typed away on the rather large laptop that had vents that seemed to roar like a jet engine if more than one application were open at a time. Shikamaru lied on his bed behind the Hyuga. The Nara silently scrolled through his phone as Neji worked on his homework until the elder’s ride arrived. Shikamaru had ordered him a ride from online and paid for the transport entirely. His argument was that since Hiashi was so strict, there was no doubt that the man monitored Neji’s debit card transactions, and to avoid being scolded for ordering transportation from online while underage, Shikamaru would have to pay for the trip. There wasn’t much Neji could say to that, so he silently backed down and began working.

Neji saved his work before standing.

“I haven’t gotten a text that the ride’s here yet,” Shikamaru mumbled from where he lied on the bed, keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

“I am only going to the bathroom,” Neji said.

The Hyuga exited the bedroom and looked down the hall that was much darker now than when they first made their way towards the back of the house. He sighed and looked to the time. It was getting late. He then turned into the restroom, flicked on the lights, and eased the door shut behind him. He stood before the mirror and looked to his own reflection. He stared to each detail before opening his phone. He located a picture of their late mother and began to compare himself to her. After some scrutiny, he found no resemblance. He then opened a photo of Hiashi and compared himself to the man. He found some similarities, but that only meant that he did in fact share features with the man who deemed himself his father just some nights ago. Neji frowned and lowered his phone to the sink.

There was a knock at the front door.

Neji opened the bathroom door and looked to Shikamaru who emerged from his bedroom. The two exchanged glances. Drivers didn’t usually come to the front door once they’ve arrived which made the knock odd.

“You expecting someone?” Shikamaru asked, pocketing his phone.

Neji shook his head silently. His eyes were weary, and Shikamaru noted it. He kept a cool expression, “I’ll check it out, just hang out back here.”

Neji did not respond; he only watched the Nara make towards the front door from where he stood. The Hyuga then made his way to the boy’s room and sat himself in front of the computer screen. He had made progress on his presentation, two slides worth. He looked to the number to find that there were seven in total out of twelve complete. It should have been reassuring, but it only frayed his nerves even more. He saved the data before closing the laptop – or at least trying to – before he heard a sudden crack. His eyes widened as his eyes glaced around the device around to pinpoint the sharp noise. The bottom right side of the computer’s frame had begun to dislodge itself from the screen. He tried to press it back into place, but it would not stay. It would pop right off with a crack with each attempt.

“Neji?” Shikamaru called as he approached the room.

Neji jumped, “Yes?” He called back before spinning in the chair enough to face the room’s entrance.

The Nara leaned against the door frame and looked to the male who sat upright stiffly. “Look, I’m sorry,” Shikamaru began before dropping his gaze to the floor.

Neji was sorry as well, but he wanted to know the reason for Shikamaru’s apology. He opened his mouth to question it when the reason presented itself from over the boy’s shoulder.

“Neji,” Hizashi started.

Neji stood, now feeling significantly less horrible about ruining the Nara’s laptop. “What is he doing here?” Neji began lowly.

“He was saying some pretty good stuff at the door. You might want to let him talk,” Shikamaru said.

“I did let him speak,” the Hyuga narrowed his eyes.

Hizashi looked a bit erratic or maybe jumpy at speaking his mind, “Neji.”

“Why are you here?” Neji questioned harshly.

“Just listen to him,” Shikamaru urged calmly.

“So, he can tell me more about our hidden family tree?” Neji shot back.

“No! I just need you to listen, Neji we need each other,” Hizashi said.

“You keep saying that,” Neji began to pack his bag.

“Because it’s true! Neji they said they’d leave you alone if I started working with them again and…”

With Neji’s back turned, it sounded more like a threat than anything. He was trying to negotiate a deal that would only benefit himself, “Are you going to hold it over me in order to get something?” Neji spun around to glare at the man who was still so much of a stranger to him.

“Neji, it’s a lie. They won’t leave you alone, but I know how to make it less hard on both of us if we just work together,” Hizashi shut he eyes and began to speak quickly to avoid being interrupted.

“The only reason I am in this mess seems to be due to you,” Neji hissed as he continued packing his belongings.

“Yes, you are, I’m sorry. Neji, I’m sorry, but listen to me, please! I know they’ll make you do things you don’t want to do. Trust me, they’ve made me do so many things that I wish I could take back, but I can’t, and I don’t want that for you. Please, I just want to help you…”

“How could you help me?”

“We can split the work half and half. You can do the smaller, simpler, little tedious things,” he pinched his fingers to emphasize the scale of the assignments, “and I’ll do the hard stuff. Please, just give me a chance, I want to help you, Neji,” Hizashi’s begging only made the male uneasy.

“The smaller assignments?” Neji asked suspicious of what it had meant. He paused his packing.

“Your ride’s here,” Shikamaru announced, looking to the notification in his phone.

Neji tossed his bag over his shoulder and walked past the two, towards the front door. Hizashi followed him every step of the way, “Wait, let me explain. Let me go with you, we can talk it over,” the man offered.

“Discuss illegal activities in the presence of a stranger?” Neji questioned rhetorically before turning to open the door.

“Wait!” Hizashi grabbed his arm.

Neji ripped it away. He didn’t want the man to touch him after everything he had the audacity to do just that day. He looked to Hizashi as if the man had lost his touch with reality. Hizashi in turn dropped to his knees and held his hands over his head before joining them together, “Neji,” he called pitifully, “I can help you,” he shook his head pleadingly, “I know I can, just please.” His head had dropped, and he kept his eyes to the ground.

Neji looked to Shikamaru who stared right back at him. He could make out the Nara’s thoughts without him having to say a word. His dark eyes told Neji to let the man involve himself in their new situation. Neji knew Hizashi was more experienced in the organized crime than either of them. His proposal seemed to be out of good intentions and the motivation being that Neji is his flesh and blood was believable. The Hyuga then looked to the adult male that kneeled before his feet.

“Let’s go,” Neji said as he turned towards the car parked outside of the house.

. . .

The two rode in the back of the small car.

Hizashi moved towards the middle seat to get closer to Neji who readjusted his own sitting position to give himself space from the man.

“Small things would be,” Hizashi cleared his throat before lowering his voice, “Small things would be vandalism, delivering messages, selling contraband…”

“I am not selling anything,” Neji refused.

“Okay, you don’t have to. I’ll sell the drugs,” Hizashi assured, pressing both hands to his own chest.

Neji’s eyes darted to the driver who remained focused on the road. He wished for Hizashi to quiet himself further. “Quiet,” he ordered before frowning, peering through the car window. Much to his dismay the man only grew closer, “gods,” Neji whispered.

“Hey, no fucking in the back seat. Shit’s gross. I’m not cleaning it again,” the driver said.

Neji pressed himself against the door as if distancing himself from the man would distance him from the idea of such a thing. Luckily, Hizashi backed away from him, and their silence continued.

. . .

“What were you doing off of school grounds?!” Hiashi yelled to Neji who sat shamefully on the living room couch. It was the same couch he had been pinned down to the night of the break in, yet Hiashi had no idea. Nor did he know about anything else that had happened within the last week. It was all above him. “Then you refuse to answer the phone for half of the day! The only reason I did not track you down and bring you back to the school was because I was attending a virtual meeting with other contractors in different districts! I do not have time to keep a close eye on you at all hours of the day, so do not make me!”

Neji eyed his sisters who stared to them from over the stair railing.

Hiashi left the boy to wonder how to go about his situation before beginning yet another tirade, “Then you arrive in a car from some taxi company?! You have to be eighteen or older to order one! You came here with a stranger behind the wheel?!”

Neji ordered the driver to stop some houses down. Unfortunately, Hiashi had been retrieving the mail and caught sight of the boy climbing out of an unfamiliar vehicle with the company’s logo on its car hood. Neji wondered if it would be worth it to tell the man that there had been an adult accompanying him in the car to assure the man that he had been following the law, but decided that would start another onslaught of questions, so he remained silent.

Hiashi sucked in a sharp breath before turning his back. He straightened his suit and took some time to calm himself. Neji kept his eyes forward. He knew even the wrong look could spark another burst of rage.

“Neji?” Hiashi called. He waited for a response, “Neji!”

“Yes,” the male answered.

“I only behave this way because you worry me,” Hiashi explained, keeping his back to the younger. “Nothing you have been doing lately has been like you at all. You rarely step out of line, and now you are leaving the house unexplained. You left the school today and did not answer my messages, you did not even look at them,” he then sighed before straightening his back. “I am unsure if I can punish you any further, but if you continue to push my limits, I will find ways to discipline you.” With that, he left the living room and shut himself in his office.

Neji watched the double doors for some moments, waiting for them to swing open and for his father to rush towards him with another accusatory finger. Once he realized that had been it, he rose from the sofa and made his way to his room upstairs.

“What was that about?” Hanabi asked. She walked in front of Neji and stared up to his face, looking for answers. “Hm?”

Neji ignored the girl and entered his room, lowering his bag to the floor. He then felt Hinata join Hanabi in standing right behind him. He shut his eyes, “Everything is fine. I have only stepped out of line. That is why he is angry.”

“What did you do?” Hanabi pushed further.

“I have work to do,” Neji said.

“You sound like Dad,” his youngest sister commented.

Dad. For her it may apply, but for himself Neji was not sure.

“Hanabi,” Hinata began quietly, “Let’s go.”

Neji was thankful for the girl. He wanted to be alone more than anything. He heard the door shut behind him, signaling the girls’ departure. The books and unfinished assignments caught his attention, only to make his uneasiness more pronounced. He lowered himself to his study when his phone went off. Sakura had been right; he hated having the phone in his palm around the clock.

_‘why’d you leave early today?’ Sakura._

_‘Yeah, I had to plant your trees right after I planted my own,’ Karui._

He dreaded it. It seemed as though Sakura had created a new group discussion with just mutual friends who attended club gatherings and community events – just the three of them – and he had forgotten about the service that afternoon because of current events. He would have to explain his absence to Kakashi tomorrow. He dreaded it However, he did not wish to answer so he locked the screen and looked back to his paper, slightly stressed by everyone’s questions and curiosity. His pencil touched the page when his phone chimed yet again. Finally, Neji decided to set the phone on do not disturb before looking to the most recent message.

_‘Neji,’ Sasuke._

Neji furrowed his brows at the message. The last time the boy had messaged him separately from the group was when Neji was asking him for directions to an away game and neither Naruto nor Kiba were answering their phones, and that was months ago. The Uchiha hardly even spoke to the Hyuga when they were face to face because when they were together it was always in the group, not that Sasuke really spoke to anyone even then.

_‘Yes?’_

Neji saw that the boy on the other end had seen his message, but he did not see Sasuke even begin to compose a response. The Uchiha simply looked to it and did not respond. It was strange, but Neji let it be and began working in peace and quiet now that his phone was silenced. He began to write out an outline for an upcoming essay when the strokes of his pencil stopped at a new thought. He frowned thinking back to the car ride. The driver was oddly familiar.


	21. Chapter 21

Neji leaned against the bus window as Shikamaru worked through the remainder of his homework all over again. He wondered how the Nara found the time and energy to do his own work in the middle of everything. Then again, the boy did not have to deal with numerous clubs and an apparent long-lost father who presented himself in the middle of the night as a criminal. Neji’s arms wrapped around himself before he looked over to the boy next to him. Shikamaru was focused on the sheet of paper in his lap. He seemed to work rather quickly through the problems, rarely touching the calculator as he went. It made sense for the Nara to be graduating early if his mind worked wonders such as that. It seemed as if he could concentrate on so many things at once or at least work through things so quickly that he could tackle the next thing in the blink of an eye.

“Shikamaru,” Neji called quietly.

The Nara leaned over to hear the faint voice without breaking his concentration.

“You do not have to do the work,” Neji said. As soon as Shikamaru sat down, he fished the work from Neji’s bag, and the Hyuga had been too sickly to fight him off.

“I wouldn’t have to if you finished it last night,” Shikamaru responded.

“You do not need to save my grade. I should have finished it before this morning.”

“After last night, I don’t blame you. I don’t really care; it’s just homework.”

Neji sat defeated. He did not wish to hand in a late grade or not earn credit at all.

“We leave tomorrow for Suna,” the Nara began as he shut the finished page into Neji’s binder, “They texted me last night. Apparently, there’s something specific they want me to get, and it belongs to someone in their little gang. Sounded like someone stole from them and they want me to steal it back.”

“Oh,” Neji mumbled, leaning away from the rocky window. “Do you think you can do it?”

“It’s only a gold-plated gun with snake designs carved into it; I’m sure it’s lying in some living room or something unmonitored,” Shikamaru put sarcastically.

Neji shut his eyes to ease the sensory input from everything around him. Nothing that expensive would be left unattended. It was likely the men were sending Shikamaru to his death. “How will you…”

“No clue. I’ll figure it out, though,” the Nara said before grabbing his bag, waiting for those upfront to file out of the bus.

. . .

Neji walked through the halls, but something was off. He caught a glimpse of a girl whispering to someone as she pointed in his direction. Neji only furrowed his brows before continuing down the hall. He then approached his own locker and unlocked it to retrieve the books for his first three periods. Once in hand, he shut the locker and found Sasuke looking towards him from down the hallway. The Uchiha stared and looked as if he were debating on whether he wanted to approach the Hyuga or not. Neji stared back and waited for motion or a call. Nothing came. The Hyuga began to step towards Sasuke who showed no opposition to Neji’s advances. He waited for Neji to reach him before the Hyuga was called.

“Neji?”

Said Hyuga turned his head to find the school counselor.

“See you, Dad,” Naruto departed after waving goodbye to his father, “Sasuke? You’re back!” The blond yelled as he walked towards his friend who had been absent for a couple of days.

The counselor smiled at his son’s salutations before getting back to the task at hand, “Neji do you mind stepping into my office?”

. . .

Minato Namikaze sat in his chair behind his desk and looked to the Hyuga who stood before him cluelessly. Neji held his books in front of him as the weight of his bag began to press harder into his shoulders.

“You can set your bag down,” the man smiled, gesturing towards a chair with a wave of his hand. The school bell then rang.

“I have to get to class,” Neji rushed.

“I will write you a pass,” Minato assured. He then leaned back in his seat, “Candy?” He offered a bowl of unidentifiable hard candies all in clear plastic wrapping.

“No thank you. Why did you call me here?” Neji asked directly.

Minato kept a calm smile.

Neji averted his eyes before looking to the man again.

“Neji, this is a safe space,” Minato began.

Neji’s heart began to pick up pace. The words had been few but could be leading on to a wide variety of things. There was no possible way for his friend’s father to have found out about his and Shikamaru’s situation. He had not spoken to anyone about it besides the Nara. He doubted the boy would reach out to anyone else about the matter, then again, he didn’t know every square inch of Shikamaru. Neji swallowed as his desire to leave the room began to swell.

“You can tell me anything. It can be between us, Neji. Your life is private with you as it’s only outlet.”

Neji wanted to know where he was going.

“Is there anything going on at home?”

Neji froze stiffly before shaking his head silently.

Minato studied the boy before removing the glasses from his face, “Well,” he smiled, “that’s good.” He then stood, “I’ll write you a pass and let you start your day.” He uncapped a pen and wrote on a small slip of pink paper. He handed the slip to Neji who took it with a quickness. “Remember, I am here if you ever want to talk.”

“Thank you,” was all Neji could come up with before heading towards the door.

“Neji?”

“Yes?”

“Say hello to Sasuke for me,” Minato smiled.

. . .

“I’m sorry?” Neji asked over his book at lunch.

Everyone at the table either shifted awkwardly or stared to him in curiosity.

“Neji, who was in the car with you?” Sakura asked.

“We did not sleep together,” Neji defended. He was offended by such a suggestion; however, he now knew for sure he recognized the driver from last night. It had been some kid from school who graduated when Neji was only a freshman. He figured the driver must have a younger sibling that attended the school for such a matter to be relevant, however he didn’t know the student personally, so he did not know where the kid had gone or been or who he had spoken with, but he was now the new hot topic at school. Now he knew why Minato had called him into his office.

“So, why is everyone saying you guys were all over each other and whispering?” Kiba asked before tossing a fry into his mouth.

“We…” Neji began as he remembered the night. They had been close, and they exchanged whispers, but they had nothing to do with what the driver had thought, “It was nothing like that,” Neji mumbled. He knew there was no point in arguing with something that had been highly discussed in such a large school. Now, he had to bear the weight of such a rumor. Yet another burden placed by Hizashi. He began to resent the man more and more with each passing day. Neji glossed over the words of the page before losing interest in the story entirely.

“Then what was it?” Naruto asked honestly, he was painfully curious.

Neji shut the book and stared to the table. He did not know how to answer, but the longer he remained silent, the more suspicious the story became.

“Oh shit,” Kiba began to laugh, “Did you really fuck some guy old enough to be your dad?” He was loud.

Neji shot him a slicing glare that quieted the boy down to a faint chuckle.

“Well, if it’s not that, then what’s it like?” Kiba pressed further, leaning an arm against the table. His smile told of how the Inuzuka found the matter humorous.

Neji did not appreciate it. “We shared a ride, that is all.”

“You didn’t deny that you guys were up close and personal, fucking weird,” Kiba chuckled.

The Hyuga narrowed his eyes and kept them on the boy in a threatening silence.

“Have you guys seen Sasuke?” Sakura asked.

Everyone denied seeing the Uchiha that day, but Neji remembered seeing the boy before class had begun. He figured the Uchiha must have left early which would have been uncharacteristic of him, still the boy had to have been going through something serious for him to be disabled for days at a time.

“So,” Kiba sighed, “Anyone wanna give me the answers?”

“Kiba!” Sakura exclaimed.

“Forget it, he’s just dumb,” Ino commented as she typed away on her phone.

“You’re still seducing a dyke into doing your homework so fuck off,” Kiba shot back.

Ino laughed at the reminder, “You’re still dumb.”

Neji caught every word. “Seducing?”

“I mean not like _seducing,_ seducing, more like teasing. I’m just nice to her or whatever, I don’t send nudes or anything,” Ino dismissed.

Neji only stared to the girl before looking back to Kiba who took the answers from Naruto. He looked to his Hinata who sat next to him as she sat silently. Sakura said nothing similarly to Naruto. He studied the table as Shikamaru’s words from that night repeated themselves. The Nara had told the truth about Kiba’s nature, but it could be more widespread in the group than Neji was willing to realize before. Now, however, their conversation had given him perspective. Ino had been tricking TenTen into doing her work. She had been leading the girl on, letting TenTen believe she had a shot with her. TenTen did Ino’s homework for free, because she liked the Yamanaka, not because Ino partially paid her.

Neji packed his bags and stood.

“Where you going?” Kiba asked.

“He’s being dramatic,” Ino answered, “Can you get me something from the vending machine?”

Neji ignored them and left the senior lounge. He walked until he reached the restroom and entered a stall, dropping his bag to the ground. He meditated on the relationship he shared with his so-called group of friends. He thought over the rumor that he knew they were itching to spread, he thought about Ino’s using TenTen to her advantage, he thought about them all collectively deciding to hate Shikamaru simply because one of them said to do it. However, they were all he truly spoke to, but their words made something shift within him. It was something like a fight that he had withheld to avoid a scene. The school already had their eyes on him, he didn’t need to make topic of the week twice in a row. He sighed before leaning down to grab his bag when he noticed familiar shoes in the stall over. Neji furrowed his brows. He tossed his bag over his shoulder before exiting the stall to make sure no one else other than them were in the restroom. Luckily, the search was fruitful; the area was clear.

“Sasuke?” He called quietly from outside of the locked stall. He waited for a response for some seconds before figuring it could be someone else with the same sneakers until he heard the stall unlock. From behind it appeared his rather mysterious friend who carried his sports and school bag on his back. He wore a black sweat shirt and wore the hood over his head. The draw strings were tied tightly, further securing the hood’s position. His eyes did not connect with Neji’s. There were focused on Neji’s shirt rather than his face. “Are you alright?” Neji questioned. The Hyuga would occasionally check the door for newcomers that could interrupt them.

Sasuke rolled his eyes shut and offered a nod before working his way from the stall.

“Is this where you have been all day?” Neji asked.

Sasuke nodded as he rolled his sore shoulders.

“What is going on?” Neji asked. He was hesitant to do so for so long because he oddly felt as though he was not in the position to ask. No one ever stuck their neck too deeply into the Uchiha’s personal matters. It was as if it were an unspoken boundary placed by the Uchiha himself. However, Neji figured that if they were friends that they should reserve the right to ask something so simple.

Sasuke kept his back to Neji as he came to a stop. He was still, and Neji assumed it was because he was reluctant to speak on the matter.

“You do not have to talk about anything if you do not want to,” Neji assured. “I can stay here with you if you would like,” he offered.

Sasuke slowly turned towards Neji who looked to him with eyes that promised him that the offer stood. Sasuke looked to the side before shaking his head.

All Neji could do was observe the obvious changes in the boy without pointing any of them out. He knew it would break down the bit of trust the Uchiha had for him in the moment. There was a reason he had reached out to Neji before anyone else in the group.

“Alright,” Neji settled. He then began to walk past the boy.

“Neji,” Sasuke said.

The Hyuga paused in his steps right before reaching towards the door. He looked to Sasuke who held a stare that was asking him to stay, only they conveyed the message much better than the Uchiha’s words. Neji crossed his arms as he watched Sasuke enter the largest stall, seemingly waiting for the elder to follow.


	22. Chapter 22

Sasuke locked the stall behind the senior and tossed his bags to the corner of the spacious stall. He then sat down against the makeshift cushioning without a word. Neji stood silently on the other side of the stall before hanging his bag on the stall door’s hook. He reached in to grab the novel he had stopped in the senior lounge because of his uneasiness. It was only a rumor, and he was a senior. Rumors did not follow you once you graduated, so he only had to ignore it for the time being.

“Who’s the old guy?” Sasuke asked.

Neji closed his book for the second time that day before simply tossing it in his bag. He gave up, “It was not what it seemed,” Neji spoke slowly as he crossed his arms bitterly.

“What’s with you and Shikamaru?” Sasuke questioned next.

“Nothing,” Neji answered simply, “Now answer my question.”

“Nothing,” Sasuke said.

Neji knew that whatever had pushed the boy to breaking down in the diner the other day was not nothing. Still, if he did not wish to speak on it, he would not push it. Sasuke then looked to Neji with heavy eyes that told he was holding something back as if he wanted to say it but wouldn’t for some reason.

The Hyuga sighed, “Sasuke.”

“Nothing,” the Uchiha mulled as he looked away.

“Sasuke,” Neji raised a brow. He shifted his weight to his other hip.

The Uchiha glanced to him before staring to the stall wall all over again. “Are you and Shikamaru…” He paused waiting for Neji to fill in the gaps.

“No, we are not, but this does not concern me. I am here for you. Now, what is going on? There is a reason you contacted me separate from the group discussion,” Neji began to take it on directly. He knew the boy would never speak his mind unless forced to do so. The only time he voiced his opinion was when Naruto was involved whether it be over the Uzumaki’s sharing of answers or own intellect to which Sasuke would frequently consider to be insufficient. Neji wanted Sasuke to say what was tearing at him, but he could not force his hand in a literal sense, so he waited.

Sasuke stared to him with a conflicted look. It said that what he was holding onto could change a lot of things if he were to voice it. Neji’s expression of mild annoyance shifted into one that was more serious once he realized the weight of the matter. He began to wonder if he even wanted to know. Sasuke opened his mouth, but before he could begin, the fire alarm blared.

Sasuke jumped to his feet as Neji swung his bag onto his back before opening the stall. The two shot out from the restroom to see the waves of students heading towards the exits. They joined the crowd and heard clutters of conversations.

“Is this a drill?”

“I didn’t know we had a drill today.”

“No one said anything about a drill.”

“I hope there’s an actual fire.”

“Someone probably pulled the handle.”

The crowd neared the building’s doors only to come to a complete stop. Voices piled over one another so there was no way of knowing what was going on.

“What are you doing? Go out the doors,” an instructor ordered.

There was a student at each set of double doors, and they tried to open each one to no avail. “They’re locked,” a number of voices shot back. It caused a mixture of laughter and gasps from the large groups of students.

“I’ll try the other doors!” Kiba called out from the back before running off with a number of other teammates.

An instructor spoke into a radio that was normally clipped in his belt, “We can’t open the doors in the café building. Can we have someone open them from outside?”

Some began complaining about the violent ringing of the bell, others began to conjure up conspiracies, some wished for a fire to consume them though everyone knew deep down that they had not meant it.

“Locked!” the football team called from down the steps. Then came a loud boom that sent flames raging through the cafeteria’s lunch pick up. The kitchen was going up in flames and the fire began to spread to the ceiling panels. It was too late to extinguish the entire kitchen, so they needed to find a way to flee quickly.

The explosion was followed by an eruption of screams. The instructor rushed to the doors and tried his hardest to work them open. The football team all pitched in as the rest of the students moved as far as they could from the fire which was the other side of the building. The cafeteria building did have classes on the upper floor, but it would be a poor decision the climb to the highest floor in a fire, so the students remained on the main floor, but they flocked towards the hall outside of the cafeteria.

“Stay on this floor!” Naruto instructed. His voice naturally carried over the rest, and they obeyed the order. “Try to stay calm, we’ll get you guys out in a sec!”

The screams continued only now they were accompanied by tears.

“Shouldn’t the sprinklers be working?” Kiba grunted as he tried to pry the doors.

Sakura overheard the question and looked back to the flames that reflected in the cafeteria windows. “Not if it’s an electrical fire,” she realized quietly. Neji heard this and his eyes rounded. He quickly removed his phone from his pocket and looked to the screen to realize he forgot to disable the do not disturb setting. He hadn’t checked his phone all day. He opened his texts to find that he had been messaged late last night.

_‘Your father has until tomorrow to respond or we will come for you,’ delivered by unknown._

His stomach tightened as his heart began to pound. This was his fault. Neji couldn’t help but feel as though they could have worked something out to avoid the terrorizing of so many students who were uninvolved in his disastrous situation. It wasn’t fair. He stood numbly as he listened to the cries of those around him. There had to be a way to get out. There weren’t many windows in the hall. They were all small with thick glass incapable of opening. The larger windows were in the cafeteria, but the room’s ceiling was burning. The senior lounge was downstairs, but it was too dangerous. Still, some members of the football team rushed down the steps to see if they could get through the few, small windowpanes. Neji looked over everyone with a feeling of sickness and sorrow. Guilt stifled his breathing. He felt undeserving of the air that entered his lungs.

“Neji,” Sakura grabbed his wrist, “Neji,” she shook him, “Let’s try upstairs!”

Neji only stood dumbly. The girl begged him to follow her before she couldn’t wait any longer. She ran up the stairs, followed by a number of students who were desperate for direction. A loud glass broke and from down the hall rushed another instructor with a fire extinguisher that was beyond useless due to the size of the fire. Still, the woman tried her hardest to put as many flames out as she could.

“Hey, look out!” Naruto called, rushing towards her. He pulled her back with such force that she fell backwards on top of him as some ceiling panels fell to where she had been standing.

That should have been Neji trying to save the woman. The Hyuga couldn’t find the will to move. It was his fault. He heard banging from the sets of double doors. More students had rushed from the other campus buildings and tried to get the doors open. Many banged against windows; it only added to the volume of the madness around him. Some students were reduced to crying in corners while holding themselves. Others rushed all through the building trying to find an escape or a fire extinguisher. Instructors couldn’t seem to open the doors no matter what they tried.

“The power to the doors was shut off!” One called.

“Get a key!” Another yelled.

“I don’t want to die!” A student called, bringing Neji back from his mental guilt trip. He had to do something.

He tried to dial the number, but no one picked up. He then tried to call Hizashi. The phone rang and rang until finally the line picked up.

“N…”

“Talk to them! Get this to stop!” Neji yelled over the voices around him.

“What? What’s going on?” Hizashi questioned.

Neji could hardly hear the man’s words. He covered one ear as he spoke into the phone, “The building is on fire, and we’re trapped inside! Call them off! Work with them! I’ll do what you want, just talk to them,” Another explosion sounded from the higher level, “Now!” He ended the call and looked through the crowd for his sister. “Hinata?!” He didn’t see her. She might have gone up with Sakura. He tried to dial her only to be left on voicemail. He cursed himself repeatedly and debated running up the steps. More cries and screams pierced surrounding ears. The flames could be heard as they roared from overhead. The banging against the doors and few windows from outside had yet to cease. Neji looked over the students on the other side and spotted the Nara looking directly at him through eyes of fear. He appeared to be more stressed than the Hyuga himself. Neji looked to the boy hopelessly before dialing the Nara.

“Neji, what the hell happened?” Shikamaru yelled into the phone, incapable of hearing much because of the students on his end.

“It’s them. They are doing this.”

Shikamaru knew who he meant.

“And it is my fault,” Neji admitted.

“No, nothing they do is your fault. They did this, that’s it. Have you guys checked every opening in the building?”

“The football team is scattered trying to find a way out. Something on the higher level exploded, and another fire began over us.”

He didn’t hear Shikamaru say anything in response. There was nothing to say. Neither of them wanted to admit that the predicament was seemingly inescapable, so they simply remained connected on the line. Neji’s head shot from side to side trying to get an idea of what was going on now only for another explosion to sound from the upper floor again. This time, however, it came from the opposite end of the building from before. It caught the attention of the students outside, briefly pausing the banging against the doors. They backed away from the building as debris began to fall. Neji watched as Shikamaru hardly backed away. The Nara looked up before looking to the Hyuga through the door window.

“Go,” Neji said.

Shikamaru stared to the Hyuga for a while before debris came close to hitting him.

“Go!” An instructor yelled to him through the glass.

The Nara looked to Neji another time before backing away like the rest of the students. Suddenly, from within, a section of the ceiling caved in and from it dropped a number of flaming papers and desks. Kids jumped out of the way, tripping over one another. Unfortunately, a ceiling light fell, landing on a student and electrocuting him until he fell unconscious.

“Back away from him!” An instructor yelled. “Get away, get away,” he pushed the students from the scene. The chaos seemed to grow by the minute similarly to the flames. Some began to cough from the smoke that washed over them from the opening in the ceiling. A loud bang sounded from the doors and there stood a number of firemen who were trying to break the doors down with a battering ram. “Back up!” The teacher yelled directing everyone from the doors. Students from the back began to rush forward, crashing into the kids up front who tried to give the firemen distance. With a couple of good knocks, the door finally came falling down and kids rushed from the building, pouring through the door in two’s and three’s. The firemen began on another door to allow the flow to become less congested. They were successful, and even more kids flowed from another opening in the row of doors. Neji drifted wherever the crowd forced him, eventually landing him outdoors. He continued running with the large flow of students until the group began to fan out and slow down. Some fell in the grass grateful for their lives, others fainted. The majority stood, thankful they were in one piece as they cried, joining their friends on the other side. Neji looked over the crowd as the wind blew, wafting the smoke over the campus. His hair stuck to his sweaty face from the building’s heat. He watched the reactions of the wide variety of students guiltily as he tried to locate his sister.

“Neji!”

The Hyuga located the direction of the voice to find Shikamaru shoving his way towards him. Just then Sakura arrived at his side, “Neji!” She exclaimed. The Nara met the Hyuga close to the same time as the girl. Shikamaru’s face displayed the stress from the scare, his eyes telling of both his relief and concern. He only stood and checked the Hyuga up and down.

“Are you…” He began.

“Naruto’s still in there!” Sakura yelled.

Shikamaru looked to the girl in disbelief.

“What?” Neji gasped breathlessly.

The three looked to the building where Sasuke stood staring through the windows, being shoved back by the firemen. His fight was fierce; he was trying to get in.

Neji’s heart sank.

“I’m gonna go get Sasuke,” Sakura informed before running back towards the building now engulfed in flames.

“Neji,” Shikamaru spoke lowly into his ear before staring off into the parking lot where a blond male with long hair stood outside of the very black SUV that had been following them day in and day out for days. The man climbed into the vehicle before rolling off.

Fear made itself known within Neji; they were not to be taken lightly.

Loud cheering turned their heads back to the crowd of students as they applauded a dirtied Naruto who carried an unconscious Hinata in his arms from the smoking building. He was breathing heavily but he was at least breathing. Sasuke rushed from Sakura to the blond boy who lowered the girl into a stretcher provided by the firemen. The Uchiha stopped himself abruptly upon nearing Naruto and only watched the Uzumaki in shock who simply laughed the whole thing off. Sakura checked on the hero as she held a hand over her chest worriedly. She then flicked his nose, more than likely scolding him for doing something so risky. Neji ran towards the stretcher and walked along side Hinata was she was rolled into the ambulance. A paramedic obstructed Neji’s view of the girl and he tried to get around the man.

“You can’t get in; we’re transporting a number of students that were injured in the explosion. I’m sorry. We’ll reach out to you later today, okay? I’m sorry” The man said as he rounded the vehicle before climbing into the driver’s seat. 

“I’m fine, really,” Naruto argued.

“We still have to examine you; you were in there for too long,” another paramedic said, aiding the Uzumaki in climbing into the ambulance.

“Is he okay?!” Minato called as he ran towards the emergency vehicle from afar.

“I’m fine, Dad! They’re just doing their job, I’ll be back!” Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth to amplify the words.

Minato slowed to a light jog then a walk as the doors to the ambulance shut. They then drove off, leaving a mess of students to contact their transports and guardians.

Hinata got hurt. His friends were involved and at risk. It was clearer now more than ever that whoever they were working with didn’t play by any sort of rules. They weren’t afraid of mass destruction if it meant getting what they wanted, and they made it clear that they were untouchable. They were not to be taken lightly.

The firemen continued to spray the flames down and make sure no one else was left inside.

“Neji, are you alright?” Minato asked, finally reaching his side.

Neji nodded and wanted more than anything to apologize wholeheartedly for it all, “I’m sorry.”

“Naruto will be fine,” the counselor smiled breathlessly due to sprinting across campus, “There is no need to feel sorry. Why are you apologizing?”

Neji bit his tongue and shook his head.

“Will your sister be okay? Do you need a ride to the hospital?”

Neji looked to the man, “Yes, please.”

The two rushed to the man’s car, “Anyone else you need to bring along?” Minato questioned.

“We’ll meet you there!” Kiba called as he and Sasuke rushed to the Uchiha’s Jeep.

“We’re coming!” Sakura yelled from the other end of the parking lot before climbing into her own vehicle that was parked right next to Ino’s.

Minato ducked into the car as Neji peered our to the grass field where Shikamaru watched him from his own group of friends. The Nara stood with Choji, Darui, Karui, Omoi, and Shino, but he paid them no attention. They shared a brief stare before the drift of Neji’s attention caught sight of a blond woman in a suit standing outside of a black, tinted Sudan. The sighting was odd. She seemed like some sort of agent from the way she observed the burning building. He then watched her speak into a phone before climbing into her own vehicle and taking no time to drive off. Neji looked back to Shikamaru who watched the same vehicle exit the campus’ parking lot in confusion. Neji could tell neither of them had ever seen her, but something told him she might be related to this new secretive and destructive life.


	23. Chapter 23

“Asuma Sarutobi has been missing for the past three weeks according to friends who say that his family never reported him being missing which points arrows towards his relatives as far as suspicion, and now moving on to Konoha High. Right now, as you can see, the building was entirely engulfed in flames. You can see as the camera pans out here that plenty of debris was scattered by the force of the explosion. The fire was just put out by firemen some minutes ago, so it is still too early to tell what the cause of the explosion was and whether it was an attack or some sort of freak accident,” a news reporter covered the scene on campus as the group sat in the waiting room of the hospital.

Everyone watched the screen in awe though they had all just been a part of it. Neji, however, kept his eyes straight ahead to the wall across from where he sat. He knew the cause of the explosion, he knew it was an attack, he knew the motive. He knew everything. Keeping his chin lowered and his arms folded, he flicked his eyes over the filled seats of the waiting area. Each one of them were occupied by friends or families of children who had been injured. Luckily, there hadn’t been any casualties which seemed to be some sort of miracle. Neji wanted to believe it was out of mercy that the gang made sure the rooms were empty before blasting it into oblivion, but the other half of him truly believed it was just luck.

“Naruto!” Sakura exclaimed, standing from her seat.

The Uzumaki walked in with a goofy smile. A single band aid was stuck to his face, but other than that there wasn’t a single scratch on the boy. He scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously, weary of yet another lecture from the girl. Instead, Minato rushed to him and wrapped him in his arms. He brushed his son’s hair back before pressing a firm kiss into his head.

“Dad!” Naruto complained.

Minato continued to plant kisses in the same exact spot over and over as the boy fought him off.

“What were you thinking?!” Sakura exclaimed.

“Dude, that was fucking _stupid_! You could’ve died!” Kiba scolded.

“So could’ve Hinata!” Naruto defended.

Kiba’s eyes softened from their scowl before he sealed his lips completely. The group fell silent as the girl passed through their minds.

“Is she…” Neji began, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Neji!” He heard his youngest sister yell from the entrance, “Where’s Hinata?!” She rushed to her brother accompanied by Hiashi who looked to be seconds from fainting. “Is she okay?!” Hanabi questioned. She continued to ask where the girl was, how everything happened and when, but Neji could not keep up. He was just as worried as her.

“She’s okay,” Naruto assured with a serious expression much different from his typical comical appearance, “I spoke to her on the way here before they kicked me from the room,” he smiled.

“Oh, thank the gods,” Hanabi sighed before sitting on her knees.

Neji watched as Hiashi approached him with shock in his eyes. Neji didn’t know how to take it, so he tensed up before the man leaned forward and wrapped Neji in his arms, “I’m so glad you’re safe, Neji,” he spoke. Neji reached up to grab the man in return, welcoming the comfort.

“I’m okay,” Neji promised.

The man released him before taking a seat next to the boy. He looked to the television that now displayed a bird’s eye view of the smoking building. “Gods,” he mumbled.

Neji’s gaze dropped solemnly. He did not wish to watch a broadcast of something he could claim to be his own doing. He looked through the window to see the parking lot filled to the brink. One parent had even parked on the hospital’s sidewalk.

“This is horrible! Who would’ve done this?! If you’re getting bullied just tell someone! Don’t put others in harm’s way just because you don’t like how things are going for you!” A mother spat through tears as her son sat next to her in bandages. She was more rattled than the actual victim who sat there, wishing the woman would end the scene.

It was too suffocating. Neji stood.

“Where are you going?” Hiashi asked tiredly, removing his readers and rubbing a hand down his face.

“Restroom,” Neji voiced just barely before exiting the waiting section and making his way down the hall. He began to wander until he passed the restroom. He simply wished to remove himself from the atmosphere. It was too heavy.

His phone rang. He looked to the screen to find the Nara trying the reach him. Neji took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before answering and looking all around him, “Hello?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. Naruto is fine, too. He told us that Hinata had woken up. We are all fine, no casualties.”

“Good. You saw that lady, right?” Shikamaru asked right away.

“Yes, why?” Neji questioned.

“I followed her. She’s at your house right now. I’m guessing she’s trying to find either you or Hizashi, but I think someone might’ve skipped on some details about your living situation.”

Neji shut his eyes stressfully. He dropped his head and tapped his foot, “Is there any way you could get her to leave?”

“I’ll try, but I need to get Darui’s car back to the school so he can get home,” Shikamaru explained.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah,” the Nara said before ending the call.

Neji spun in a circle with his head craned back. It was all beginning to pile, and it was close to toppling. There was no telling what the lady wanted from him. He covered his face with both hands before rubbing them up and through his hair. He dropped his arms and looked down the hall hopelessly.

“Neji?” Came a familiar and soft voice.

Neji spun and caught sight of Hinata standing just a small distance from himself. “Hinata,” he breathed happily before walking towards her and wrapping her into a relief-filled embrace.

“I’m okay,” she smiled into his chest.

Neji was more relieved than she knew. “Did they let you out?”

Hinata nodded, “Well, no,” she stepped back and lowered her dishonest eyes to the hospital floor. “I snuck out.”

Neji raised a brow. It had to be Naruto’s influence, because he never knew the girl to go against what she was told, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

She nodded frantically.

Neji watched the girl fiddle with her fingers for some time. The only thing making her uneasy was her own unusual dishonesty regarding being discharged from the hospital, but aside from that the girl seemed to be healthy. Neji smiled softly before wrapping an arm around the girl and leading her to her father and sister.

. . .

“What did you tell her?” Neji asked through the phone as he held his knees to his chest in his bathtub.

“I asked her what she wanted, she acted like it was confidential. I asked her if she knew a Shikaku, Shikamaru, Neji and Hizashi,” Shikamaru began, “She didn’t give me any attention until she heard those names. She just looked at me and stopped banging on the door.”

“What did she say?”

“She just asked where you were, and I said I didn’t know. Then she asked why I was there, and I said I knew you because I already said all of our names together; that much she could’ve figured out on her own.”

“Do you think she would come back?” Neji questioned as he eyed the bathroom sink.

“No clue. I just told her Hizashi didn’t live there. I know that they already figured that since you’re his son, you live with Hizashi. So, if he didn’t live there then she’d have to keep searching. I didn’t try to talk more than I needed to, but she spoke even less.”

“Could you tell what she wanted?” Neji asked.

“Beats me. All I know is that unlike those other guys, she seemed pretty composed. She was neat and sophisticated. She resembled a government worker more than a criminal.”

Neji shut his eyes and leaned back in the tub. Ideas were swarming.

“Do you really think you’re his kid, though?” Shikamaru asked suddenly.

Neji thought back to the man’s face. He remembered them both ordering the same ice cream flavor, salted caramel. “I don’t know.”

“You’re considering it though?”

Neji didn’t even want to do so much as give his mind leeway to think it. It would disrupt the way he remembered and viewed everyone in his home.

“Neji?”

“I’m still here,” the Hyuga said before draining the bath and stepping out. He put the phone on speaker as he wrapped himself in a towel.

“Are you okay?” Shikamaru asked another time.

“I am fine. I was not one of the students who were injured. I was the one who brought it to them,” Neji reminded the Nara as he began to detangle his hair. He pitifully stared to his own reflection before turning his back to the mirror.

“It wasn’t you. How many times have I said that?”

“How many times are you going to ask if I am okay?” Neji countered, “I am fine. Thank you,” he said a final time.

“Okay, sorry. Hinata?”

“She is resting, she is safe. Everyone else is fine.”

There was a silence as the Hyuga ran a bristled brush through his mane.

“I think they’re canceling the trip tomorrow, I don’t know,” Shikamaru said.

“How will you get there?”

“No idea, honestly. I tried to get a hold of my dad all day. I still don’t know where he is.”

Neji frowned to the bathroom floor.

“They canceled school for tomorrow, so at least it’ll be a three-day weekend.”

“I suppose,” Neji said pessimistically as he began to braid his hair into a single braid for the night. “Shikamaru, how are you going to get to Sunagakure,” he repeated. The way of which the Nara would brush such big things off was mildly concerning at that point.

“I don’t know.”

Neji’s hands paused in the middle of braiding as an anxious feeling arose.

“Maybe I can order rides all the way there,” the Nara offered.

That would take too long.

“I could steal a car,” he joked.

“I am going to try to find someone to help you,” Neji said as he finished the braid. He lifted the phone and exited his bathroom. He tossed the phone onto his bed before looking through his wardrobe for night clothing.

“You don’t have to, I’ll figure it out,” Shikamaru declined, “Shouldn’t be too hard. I can go into the city and catch a bus and ride it as far as I can, then I can order a ride and just go from there.” The process would be painfully difficult with such a long distance. Neji dressed himself as the boy continued to come up with last minute ideas. The Hyuga then walked towards the bed and scooped his cellular from the comforter. He contacted Hizashi, asking if the man had a car before taking the phone off speaker and placing it against his ear.

“I asked Hizashi,” Neji informed.

“Hizashi, why?”

“I did not have many options, besides whatever we are in, we are in together,” Neji reasoned.

“No, whatever you’re in is between you and Hizashi. He has no reason to give me an eight-hour ride to the countryside. He doesn’t need or know me.”

“No, but he seems to know me,” Neji said uneasily, “I will cooperate with him if he does this favor,” Neji tried and stuck to his words. He waited confidently for the Nara to respond to the proposal. It was silent for some moment before a sigh on the other line sounded.

“Okay, okay,” the Nara surrendered, “Okay.”

Neji’s phone chimed.

_‘No,’ Delivered by H._

Neji chose not to have the man’s name spelled out in his contact list to minimize the chances of Hiashi noticing the man’s name popping up on Neji’s phone.

_‘Can you get one?’_

_‘how,’ H._

Neji deadpanned before equipping both hands to rapidly type each word out of impatience.

_‘Do you have anything to your name?’_

The man simply sent a smiling emoji.

“What is he saying?” Shikamaru asked.

“He does not own a car.”

He heard the boy laugh, “Didn’t think so. Every time we see him, he’s traveling by foot. I wonder how he got a phone.”

_‘Can you find a car?’_

_‘find a car?’ H._

Neji fell backwards against his bed in disbelief. He stared to the ceiling painfully before continuing, _‘Shikamaru needs to get to Sunagakure before the weekend is over in order to complete a task given to him by the very criminals that threaten the both of us. His car’s engine will not start, so he needs transportation. Can you get him there?’_ He stared to the screen for some time as he waited for the man to respond. He watched as the man continued to type and type. Neji bobbed his foot impatiently, narrowing his eyes at the screen.

“Did he say anything else?” Shikamaru asked.

“He is being difficult. He truly has nothing to his name,” Neji answered.

“Might be how we turn out if we don’t find a way out of this,” the Nara admitted.

“Do not say that,” Neji complained.

“Sorry.”

_‘I have a friend,’ H._

The response was short considering the time it took him to type it out.

_‘Who has a car,’ H._

_‘Can you use it?’_

_‘maybe,’ H._

Neji rolled his eyes shut and dropped his phone against his chest. He thought of a way to make Hizashi’s answer more confident. He thought back to the father factor before biting his lip and raising his phone. He stared to the discussion before beginning to type.

_‘Dad?’_

He watched as Hizashi typed on and off. Just doing that much discomforted Neji a great amount.

_‘Yes.’ H._

Neji’s hands froze. Hizashi responded in the way he was hoping he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to see yet another confirmation of the man’s story nor did he know where to go from there.

 _‘Please,’_ He tried.

There was another pause of on and off typing from the other end before the message came through.

_‘I’ll see what I can do,’ H._


	24. Chapter 24

_‘This is awkward,’ Shikamaru._

Neji looked down to his phone that sat in the cup holder of the treadmill. He slowed the machine’s pace to that of a walk before lifting the phone.

_‘I know, but at least you have a ride.’_

_‘We’re three hours in and haven’t said a word,’ Shikamaru._

Neji furrowed his brows, _‘Maybe he feels just as out of place as you.’_

_‘He’s weird,’ Shikamaru._

_‘Try to make conversation. The trip would seem shorter.’_

_‘I’m just gonna pretend to sleep,’ Shikamaru._

Neji sighed before stopping the treadmill and exiting the work out room. He went to the kitchen and retrieved a glass cup from the cabinet before filling it with water from the refrigerator. He watched the large glass fill as his mind traveled. It was about time to hand the money over to the men. He just had to make up some excuse to use Hiashi’s car. The Hyuga frowned at remembering this. In truth, he had another two days until his task was overdue, but after yesterday’s scare, he had to play by the rules they made and even broke at times. However, he could not guarantee that such an event wouldn’t happen again. It took him all night to convince himself that the fire had been out of his hands. All he could do was trust that Hizashi would carry out his end of the bargain enough to keep Neji’s peers and family out of the drama.

“Neji!” Hiashi called, drawing Neji’s attention to the overflowing cup.

Neji pulled the large glass away and looked down at the small puddle that pooled right below the fridge.

“Gods, what were you thinking?” Hiashi asked.

Neji opened his mouth to speak only to close it and grab a paper towel. He was distracted. He felt the man’s eyes on him as he dried the water from the floor. It made him uneasy. Neji hoped that nothing about his movements gave away his tension.

“Neji.”

No.

“Yes?” Neji stood and made for the trash bin. Hiashi’s eyes followed.

“I cannot help but feel as though you are hiding something from me,” he began.

Neji threw the soaked paper towel away before working on drying the door of the fridge. He said nothing, so Hiashi continued.

“Is there something you wish to tell me?” The man asked up front.

Neji continued to dry the surfaces, “No, sir.” He knew the man didn’t believe his words hence the reason Hiashi continued to watch his every movement, but Neji pretended not to notice.

“I see. Well, I suppose that means I can disregard the email from your teacher?”

Neji looked to Hiashi, “Email?”

“Yes, from Kakashi Hatake? He is asking about your well-being seeing as even he thinks your recent behavior has been rather odd,” the man continued, knowing well which route he was taking in making Neji talk.

“I have only been tired as of late,” Neji assured.

“I can only imagine how tired you are after skipping a number of community services,” Hiashi said as he dragged two fingers across the kitchen counter, checking for grime.

Neji’s eyes dropped. He thought back and remembered the tree planting service he had missed because he left school early on that day. Had there been another prior to that? “Service,” Neji spoke quietly.

“You have missed two in a row, and your teacher contacted me asking if everything was alright at home,” the man reiterated, “You chose not to do sports, so I allowed you to join clubs in place of it,” which was something he did not force on his eldest daughter, “Yet now you are showing disregard for even that. How are your grades?”

“All A’s.” Neji responded.

“Let us see if you can maintain that with this sudden rebellious streak. I have not yet decided your punishment for your actions leading up to today, so anticipate it,” the man reminded before exiting the kitchen. Neji eyed him the entire way before opening his phone to notify the unknown number.

_‘I have it, where do you want to meet?’_

. . .

The walk had been long due to him not having the nerve to ask for the car keys after getting into trouble yet again. They asked him to show up at the same gas station of which they met on that wet night. Neji stopped on the sidewalk right outside of the station and remembered the entire incident. He looked to the parking space where TenTen parked. He then located the large SUV and stared as its engine hummed. He took a deep breath before approaching the vehicle nervously. He kept his chin and sight lowered with the exception of the occasional side glance to his surroundings. Once he was close enough, the window rolled down, further fraying his nerves. The driver was the tallest one on that night. He was pale with dark blue hair and sharpened teeth. His eyes small and sunken in. He offered a toothy smile as the Hyuga offered his book bag. He seemed to eat up Neji’s unconfident and rather frightened expression before going through the bag. Neji looked away to minimize contact and awkward glances. He listened to them rummage through the bag and began to wonder if he should tell them which compartment the money was in. A while of tossing and turning passed before they tossed the bag back to him with each zipper unzipped.

The man offered another evil grin before rolling up the window and backing out of the space leaving the boy with a bag that was a bit lighter than he remembered. He began to check for any missing items when his phone rang. It was TenTen.

“Hello?” He answered. The day had just started but he was already worn just thinking about the trek back.

“Hey, my mom wants to meet you,” she admitted nervously.

“Today?”

“Some time this weekend,” the girl said. He could tell the conversation was being held in a tight situation considering how she was nearly whispering into the phone. “I told her about how your sister just got out of the hospital and that she’s completely fine, then she offered to host dinner with you guys as our guests.”

Neji silently begged for things to come one at a time and in greater increments. He tossed his head back in dread. He would have to put up yet another front.

“And I kinda want to get it over with, so are you busy today?” TenTen asked.

. . .

Neji slouched in the dinner chair with his legs spread, trying a great deal to appear as something he wasn’t.

Earlier, he had raided his closet for clothing that would give off the appearance of a girl-crazy boy only to find that he owned nothing of the sort. He had messaged the Nara right away in hopes of being able to borrow some clothing. Much to his expectations, Shikamaru gave him the right of way to his wardrobe and the two texted back and forth regarding which clothing combination to go with. Shikamaru had turned down a number of things, not that it was too surprising to the Nara; Neji tended to dress rather preppy. Semi-formal, overly masculine didn’t exactly come easily to the male. The Hyuga actually showed the ability to dress the part through the texts, but when he did it would be too casual for meeting his girlfriend’s through dinner.

Now, Neji sat before TenTen’s adoptive mother wearing a white button-down shirt – it was looser than the ones in his own selection of clothing -- tucked into black pants that were just about as loose, adding to the masculine look he was going for. His footwear was of walnut colored leather dress shoes. His hair was tied into a low bun; it was the best he could do to eliminate the feminine stereotype that came with having lengthy hair. Next to him sat Hiashi in his typical business suit, unimpressed with the situation, but willing to fake just as much as Neji once he heard the story. Hinata sat on his other side, smiling just to keep her mouth shut. She was not talented in lying, but the less she spoke or moved, the better.

“I knew you were friends in middle school. I always thought you two were cute. Who would’ve known?” Her mother beamed.

Everyone laughed it off though the majority of the laughter was fake. Hiashi did not fake one at all.

TenTen widened her eyes to Neji who sat across from her before looking to the boy’s father who sat tensely. His aura was intimidating. Neji elbowed the man silently who exhaled and tried to ease into the energy of the room.

They passed the dish around and dropped serving sizes onto their plates.

“So, Hiashi what is it that you do?” The mother asked.

“I deal with contracts.”

“Oh, interesting,” she said, “For what?”

“Business agreements.” His words were vague. It only served to make Neji further question the man’s knowledge of everything else that had occurred recently.

“Impressive,” the woman commented as she plucked a serving of fried sweet potato onto her plate. “You know, if her father were with us today, Neji would have it much harder. He was actually a cop”. She tried to pass it off as a light joke, but the words alone caused the boy great discomfort. Neji only offered a brief smile before eyeing his own lap. Hiashi raised a brow to the woman’s words remembering Neji’s behavior over the past few days.

“Yes, I am sure he would have,” Hiashi said, causing her mother to laugh. Little did she know, Hiashi had meant it whole heartedly.

“Your hair is gorgeous! Can you pull it down and let us see it?” The mother studied Neji’s tied mane.

Neji awkwardly reached to the tie and pulled it from his strands feeling as though his attempt’s purpose was defeated. It fell to his waist and the woman seemed to marvel over the locks.

“Looks like it took some time to grow that out. What made you keep it like that?” The woman asked.

Neji heard the disapproval in her tone after she had forced the compliment. “Preference,” he answered.

“Hm,” she hummed, “Ever thought of cutting it?”

“He likes it the way it is,” Hiashi butted in with a slight raise of his chin before slowly crossing his arms.

“I do think about it sometimes, yes,” Neji admitted much to his father’s surprise, “It can get in the way.”

They all sat there silently for a bit. The interaction began to dip just slightly, and they needed time before exchanging their next words to ensure that it did not dip further. Their unspoken excuse was that they had all began to eat; it was rude to eat with a full mouth.

Her mother suddenly perked up, “Dessert?”

. . .

Hiashi sat in the car and waited for Neji who stood on the house’s doorstep.

“That was…” TenTen thought of her next words.

“I’m sorry I could not be more convincing,” Neji apologized as he looked over the girl. She was dressed for her part, but she looked entirely different from the TenTen he had known for years. She wore an airy floral dress that exposed her thighs and a small hair clip that kept one side of her bangs behind her ear. The dress dipped down just enough to show slight cleavage, but she was not necessarily a busty girl, so it made the dress less scandalous.

“Don’t be,” she sighed before crossing her arms and slouching slightly, “I don’t think your dad liked her,” she whispered, looking to the man’s car briefly.

“He decided that once I told them your story.”

“You told him?” TenTen’s eyes shot open.

“He would never believe me if I told him that I am going to meet my girlfriend’s parents,” he pointed out.

“Oh yeah,” she agreed before palming her head, “This whole night was a waste of time but at least it’s over. Thanks,” she lifted a corner of her mouth.

Neji nodded.

“How’s Shikamaru?”

“He is fine,” Neji answered. He found the question rather sudden given the topic.

TenTen smirked and raised her brows with interest.

Neji side eyed her before slightly leaning away, “What is it?” He asked suspicious of the expression.

“Nothing,” her tone was teasing.

“We do not do that anymore.”

“You told me.”

“Then what is it?” Neji questioned again.

“Just think there might be something there.”

“Do not confuse one thing for another,” the Hyuga warned.

“I’m not confused. I know a lovesick look when I see one, and he gives it to you every now and then,” the girl mentioned.

The boy doubted it, “The one you give Ino?” Neji shot back.

That stopped her smile. She dropped her head before rolling her eyes to the road before her house. Neji stared at her, studying her reaction. It was no longer funny.

“I’m getting over it,” the girl said.

“Get over it quicker.”

“Neji,” his bite was unfamiliar to her.

“I hate to speak of someone in their absence, but you should stop doing her workload for nothing in return.”

“She pays me,” she said, now annoyed at the boy’s snooping.

Neji wondered if he should voice everything he had heard the day of the fire as he watched her face grow in irritation. He decided to keep it simple, “She will give you nothing in return,” he finalized before stepping away from her doorstep and climbing into the car.

Hiashi backed out of the driveway before putting the car in drive. “Did you two discuss everything you needed to?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“How long are you going to lie?” Hiashi questioned.

“Until she moves out.”

“All school year?” His father spoke with a tinge of anger.

Neji shut his eyes and sat back in the passenger’s seat. “You do not have to come with us on every date if it will be too much trouble,” and Neji meant that. He had said it with sincerity, but Hiashi took it as a rotten attitude.

The man chuckled, “Too much trouble,” he echoed, “Okay.”

Neji then received a text.

_‘We made it to the place. I’m walking towards it now. It looks like some modern futuristic mansion you see in movies,’ Shikamaru._

There was no way he could do this.

_‘Be careful.’_

_‘I think they have cameras. Fuck,’ Shikamaru._

Neji frowned and locked the phone, allowing his head to rest against the car seat. He grew fairly sick with worry. He did not see Shikamaru making it out of this unless the homeowner willingly gave the firearm to the Nara and sent him on his merry way which Neji was sure wouldn’t happen.

“Who was that you were messaging?” Hiashi asked.

“Shikamaru,” Neji figured more lies would only further harm the way Hiashi viewed him as of late.

“What were you discussing?”

“Modern mansions.”

“What about modern mansions?”

“He was describing one that seemed to only belong in movies.”

“Is he into architecture?”

“I am unsure. Perhaps.” Neji leaned against the car door, wishing for the questioning to stop. He shut his eyes and turned his ringer off.

“An artist?”

Neji thought back to the night at the school. Shikamaru had been oddly passionate about the graffiti and how they went about it. He saw it as an art project as opposed to vandalism. Knowing the boy, he probably convinced himself that they were doing the school a favor. “Somewhat,” he answered.

“Didn’t you like to draw?” Hiashi asked at the stop sign.

“Years ago,” Neji shook his head, “I do not know where to go with a pencil and blank page now.”

“It is a shame. You used to color very well.”

“Better than I drew, I am sure,” Neji eyed Hinata through the rear-view mirror. The girl seemed to be texting someone with a smile warm against her face.

They pulled into the driveway of their home. Hinata exited the car and walked towards the front door. Neji began to do the same when Hiashi urged him to stay.

“Do you like him?” Hiashi asked.

“No,” Neji assured. The reoccurring assumption had grown old.

“Is it something I did?”

Neji froze at that before staring to the dashboard, “You did nothing. I am sorry for the trouble I have caused.” The two sat silently in the car that had been turned off completely. It was dark apart from the single porch light that just barely reached through the vehicle’s windows to illuminate either male. Both of them felt as though the other wished for them to say more, but neither of them wished to themselves.

There was a knock on Hiashi’s car window. The man powered the car with a turn of his key and rolled the window down, “Can I help you?”

Neji’s eyes widened at finding that it was none other than the lady that both he and Shikamaru had spotted in the parking lot as the school’s cafeteria building burned to a pile of debris.

“Hizashi Hyuga,” she spoke.


	25. Chapter 25

“I’m sorry?” Hiashi blinked in an attempt to get some clarity.

“Is he here?” The woman asked.

“No,” Hiashi responded, “Who is asking?”

“I am,” she was confident. Her face was cold and unmoving.

“Why would he be here?” His tone was impatient.

“He has not been home for some weeks.” She was calm. So, Hizashi did have a place to call home.

Neji looked into the rearview mirror to find her car parked on the side of the road just outside of the house.

“I’m trying to get a hold of him to discuss business. I can give you my number if you…”

“That will not be necessary,” Hiashi interrupted, “We do not speak and have not spoken for years,” he sat back in his seat and looked through the windshield, his hands never leaving the wheel.

The woman slowly pulled her empty hand from her pocket before eyeing the man who sat tensely.

“Leave our property and never come to me about him again. We are not related,” Hiashi ordered firmly before rolling his window up and dislodging the key. “Get out,” he told Neji before exiting the vehicle himself and walking right around the woman who had yet to move. Hiashi stepped up to the door, “Leave or I will contact police.” He opened the door to allow Neji and Hinata in before walking in himself. He shut the door with more force than necessary before he angrily removed his suit jacket and hung it on the coat rack in the foyer. It all went over Hinata’s head. She continued to type away as she wandered up the stairs to her room.

Neji only watched him wearily. He could not tell what the man was irritated towards exactly. He watched as Hiashi entered his office before reemerging to face Neji. “Have any strange people come up to you, Neji?” He sighed and lowered his head before placing his hands on his hips, “Be honest. Do not lie.”

“No,” Neji lied. He stood dead still, scared that he would give away the truth. He knew he wasn’t dismissed so all he could do was stand there and wait for the man to decide nothing about the boy said otherwise.

“Give me your phone,” Hiashi ordered, holding his hand out.

Neji stared to the man’s hand with a stiff expression. It was one that would not budge; it showed no emotion. It only told of Neji’s nervousness. His silence didn’t help. His head was still; only his eyes moved.

“Give me your phone,” Hiashi ordered again though more slowly.

“Father,” Hinata called over the stair railing.

“This does not concern you, go back into your room!” He spat back.

Neji knew the girl was trying to save him. Just her calling the man in the middle of one of his fits was a lot compared to her typical silence.

“Who is Hizashi?” Neji tried in a quiet yet rushed manner.

“No one!” The man exclaimed angrily before cursing under his breath, “Give me your phone.”

“I left it in the car,” Neji fibbed.

“Get it, bring it to me. You have twenty seconds.”

Neji nodded before spinning to leave. He waited until he was beyond Hiashi’s field of vision to rush to the vehicle. He saw that the woman had finally left before climbing into the car to delete every recent phone conversation to find there were a number of new ones from Shikamaru. He skimmed over them enough to know that the task had been a success. Still, he hurriedly deleted the messages before rushing back inside, handing the phone to Hiashi who stood suspicious of the boy.

“What took you so long?” Hiashi questioned.

“I was looking for it. It slipped in between the chair and the armrest,” Neji lied as he shifted his weight uncomfortably.

Hiashi eyed him doubtfully before turning to head into his office.

. . .

Neji worked at his desk the next morning. It had been a while of nerve-wracking nausea at knowing anyone could contact him whenever, and Hiashi would see it. He wondered if the man were checking his sent messages through the phone bill. He looked to the presentation he had been struggling to finish all week. The slides were now ten out of twelve. Neji dropped his hands to his lap and stared devoid of motivation or focus to finish the project. Still, he could not find the courage to leave his room. He looked to the snack wrappers of the processed foods he ate for breakfast. He had eaten straight from his bookbag due to feeling Hiashi’s rage from the floor below. Neji felt his stomach rumble. Suddenly, the doorknob turned scaring Neji into pretending to work.

“Get your shoes, we’re going out,” Hiashi spoke before leaving the room, failing to shut the door behind himself.

Neji’s breath stilled as his heart raced. His hands shook as he fought against the sickly feeling of fright.

. . .

Hiashi did not tell Neji where they were going; he simply drove.

“Last night you got a call from Sasuke which I ignored. You can get back to him some other time, maybe once school opens.”

Neji held both of his hands together tightly. Every part of his body was on edge; he could not even do so much as sit back in his seat. He looked through the glass pitifully knowing what was to come.

“Shikamaru texted you a number of times. Nothing he said caught my eye. He only wanted to know if you got another assignment,” which Hiashi assumed was academic.

The more Hiashi spoke, the closer he got to the contacts that worried Neji most.

“Now, H. H texted you saying that the task was done. I’m assuming yet another academic matter that I could never understand given how accelerated everything is these days.”

Neji lowered his gaze.

Hiashi made a left turn and continued to drive through town.

“You can have your phone, but I will be going through messages sent by you later on to see if any data was deleted while you were recovering your phone from between the car seat and the arm rest,” the man informed further nauseating the boy next to him.

Neji leaned against the car window. Hiashi then reached into his pocket and retrieved Neji’s phone. He handed the device to the boy who took it and lied it against his lap. The younger was relieved for now that those few messages were all the man had seen, still he had to wait for Hiashi to go to the phone bill and he wasn’t sure if Hiashi was telling him everything he had truly seen. Neji opened his phone to find a text from Shikamaru.

_‘You there?’ Shikamaru._

_‘My phone was taken.’_

_‘Why?’ Shikamaru._

_‘He does not trust me.’_

_‘Did he find anything out?’_

_‘He did not mention anything. I am unsure.’_

_‘Oh, okay. No need to worry if he’s not talking.’_ It was just like the Nara to shrug something like this off with ease. _‘So, we actually came right back because he didn’t have money for a hotel room, and I wasn’t going to pay, plus he had to get the car back to his friend. We took turns driving back.’_

_‘Where is he now?’_

_“My couch,’ Shikamaru._

. . .

Neji stood in front of the Nara’s front door with the boy’s clothing in hand. The shirt and pants were clean and folded neatly. In his other hand hung the Nara’s leather dress shoes. The door opened and out stepped Shikamaru who appeared to just be waking up again.

“Thanks,” he said taking the articles. He spotted Hiashi sitting in his car in the driveway and figured the Hyuga wouldn’t be staying for long.

Neji nodded before spotting Hizashi peering over Shikamaru’s shoulder. “You!” The Hyuga exclaimed.

“Me?” Hizashi questioned oddly, all excitement coming to a halt.

“Shit,” Shikamaru cursed as he and Neji shoved the man back in. “Go back to the living room, his dad’s here,” the Nara warned.

The light in Hizashi’s eyes dimmed at the boy referring to Hiashi as his dad. However, he nodded in understanding before silently making his way to the couch.

Shikamaru sighed, “Thanks again. Apparently, the guy just kinda wanders. He’s broke, dead broke. Neji, the guy has no where to go while he’s here.”

“That is not my problem.”

Shikamaru could only stare at the boy hopelessly. He knew there was nothing Neji could do about the grown man’s living situation. The Nara looked down to the clothing in his hands.

“How did you get the gun?” Neji asked, lowering his voice.

“The guy just gave it to me. He seemed nice. Don’t know why they couldn’t get it themselves if it was gonna be that simple.”

Neji furrowed his brows as he tried to think it over. Nothing the gang did made sense. They seemed to be playing them, scaring them whenever they feel. Neji was willing to bet money that the man who had allegedly stole the gun was truly another member of the group and was only playing along. Neji shook his head of the idea to clear his mind.

Shikamaru glanced to the car that sat running, wondering if Hiashi would step out if Neji were to take too long, “He’s a nice guy apart from being helpless.”

“Who?” Neji asked, looking back to him.

“Hizashi,” the Nara spoke quietly, “He’s cool, kinda funny.”

Neji didn’t know why he was saying this.

A lazy grin appeared on Shikamaru’s face before he looked all around him. He lowered his voice, “Right after we got the gun, we got high, laughed the whole thing off.”

“Shikamaru.” Neji deadpanned.

“Apparently he knows my dad,” Shikamaru whispered.

“Why would he know your father?”

“They’re in the same business, aren’t they?”

Neji supposed that was true. He looked back towards Hiashi who sat in the car on his phone as he waited rather patiently much to Neji’s surprise. He looked back to the Nara, “Have you heard from him?”

“My dad? No. But he’s done this before. He always comes back, though. I’m not freaked out or anything.”

Neji nodded doubtfully, feigning a smile. “How long are you going to let him stay here?” He asked, looking over the Nara’s shoulder.

Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly. “Just let me know if your dad’s coming and I’ll hide him, doesn’t really matter,” he yawned. Nothing seemed to matter to him. You could look at the Nara and tell that many things rolled right off of him. Just standing seemed like a chore to the boy. Neji’s eyes dropped to his bare chest.

“You never wear shirts when I come to your house,” Neji pointed out.

“It’s hot, don’t really want to pay for air conditioning.”

From the sound of things, it didn’t seem like Shikamaru’s father to be helping much with expenses.

“Where do you work?” Neji finally asked.

“Choji’s family restaurant every now and then. They’re flexible though. Sometimes they pay me for nothing. I feel bad, but at the same time Dad’s not around so.”

“I see.”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru nodded slowly. The two stood silently. They ran out of things to discuss, so they stood either looking for things to mention or waiting for the other to open their mouth.

“I should go,” Neji finally spoke.

“Got you,” the Nara said, staring at his own feet before locking eyes with the Hyuga. He offered a smile before stepping back into the house. He held the clothes up and thanked Neji one last time before Neji nodded and stepped away from the house.

He climbed into the car and fastened his seatbelt.

Hiashi put the car in reverse and rolled the car onto the main road. “Why him?”

“I’m sorry?” Neji said sheepishly unsure of how to speak to the man given everything that took place the previous night.

Hiashi sighed through his nose as he tightened his grip on the wheel. Neji watched the man clench his jaw. All the younger could do was look through his window and hope the man did not speak.

“It is hard to tell you who you can and cannot see given your age and proximity to everyone in school, however I still do not feel comfortable with you being around him.”

Neji frowned. Oddly enough, he began to feel rather irritated at the words. Hiashi had just granted his permission last week and now he was going back on it. Shikamaru was harmless. “He is graduating early,” Neji found himself mentioning for some reason.

“Good for him.”

Neji fought the roll of his eyes as he watched buildings pass them by, “Am I no longer allowed to see him?”

“Where is his father? I never see him.” Hiashi asked suddenly.

“I do not know, neither does he. He hasn’t heard from his father since last week.”

“Do they not live together?”

“He is a truck driver. He spends plenty of time away from home,” Neji sat stiffly and allowed a bit of silence to follow before continuing, “Shikamaru is not his father.”

“No but he is related to him! I know about his father and with him comes danger. I don’t know if Shikamaru knows anything, but he is not in a good position.”

Neji already knew this part.

“I should not have told you that much. Do not repeat it.”

“Because of this, I am in danger?” Neji knew he was crossing the line by questioning his father’s reasoning. He kept his gaze from the man in the driver’s seat but felt the car suddenly merge lanes until it turned into a relatively empty parking lot. Hiashi slammed his foot on the brake and put the car in park.

“What did I just tell you?!” He yelled.

Neji shrunk towards the window, maintaining an expression of mild irritation.

“Answer me!”

“Shikamaru is in a bad position,” Neji repeated quietly.

“And for that reason, I want you to distance yourself from him! Whatever feelings you two think you have, get rid of them! His father is in a business that you do not want to be anywhere near! The man’s career is already affecting Shikamaru considering how he is always alone with little to no guidance, and I feel for him. I do! But I refuse to let you step into the crossfire if I can help it! That is all! I do not feel like listening to you paint me out as being irrational over such a thing that I am more than certain about! He will be no good for you, do I make myself clear?!” His volume grated against Neji’s nerves.

The younger’s eyes fell shut the second the tirade began. Neji nodded.

“Do I make myself clear?!” Hiashi repeated.

“Yes sir,” Neji mumbled.

He felt the car rock as Hiashi sat back in his own seat to take a breath. Neji eased himself away from his car window in order to seat himself properly.

“You have been testing me lately, and I do not have the patience for it. You should know this by now,” the man said as he looked to the building before them. It was closed, hence the empty parking lot. “I cannot help but feel like your behavior has something to do with the Nara,” he shook his head.

“It does not.”

“Be quiet!”

Neji jumped a bit, keeping his eyes to the car carpet. He sealed his lips and let the man let out every bit of anger and tension he had bottled up while Neji was speaking to the Nara at his doorstep. No wonder he let the two speak for so long; it was supposed to be the last time either of them would be face to face outside of the school’s halls.

Hiashi rubbed his hands down his red face before using his fingers to comb his hair back neatly. He let out a heavy sigh before putting the car in drive.


	26. Chapter 26

Hiashi stared at his daughter who was fully dressed to attend Kiba’s house party of the weekend. The man was seated on the living room couch reading the paper, having forgotten all about it. His face was stiff with his reading glasses hanging at the tip of his nose. He folded the paper and sat it on the coffee table while keeping his eye on the girl.

“Neji!” He called.

The boy opened the door to his room and looked to the man from over the stair railing.

“Take your sister to the party. There is no reason for her to be punished for your mistakes,” he dismissed before walking to his office, tossing the keys to Hinata. It seemed that he did not know that attending the party would actually be punishment for the boy alone.

. . .

Neji parked the car a few doors down due to the front of Kiba’s house being packed. They were two hours late due to Hinata being too nervous to remind her father. Nevertheless, they made it much to Neji’s disproval. It turned out that Hiashi’s distrust for the party goers was stronger than his anger towards Neji.

The two entered through the back glass sliding doors. Neji looked over the party which was an exact repeat of last week’s. He saw the same faces, heard the same music, and found the same snacks in the same party-sized bowls. His head was already pounding from the volume of the stereo. To make matters worse, Kiba hopped over a number of things to get to the girl in his sights. Neji crossed his arms and frowned at the boy.

“Hey, Hinata. You look,” he shook his head as his smile grew. He simply finished that thought with a whistle.

The girl blushed and looked away, “Is Naruto here?”

Neji watched Kiba’s mood change.

“Probably, I don’t know. Wanna swim?” The Inuzuka perked up.

“Okay,” the girl nearly whispered. Kiba took her hand and led her through the crowd of high school students. Some of them even seemed to be college age, but Neji paid no mind to it. Just seeing the boy touching the girl in any way angered the Hyuga, but they were gone quicker than Neji was able to rip their hands apart. He decided to follow them to make sure that Kiba’s true intention was to swim with the girl rather than keeping her shacked up in a room on the higher floor.

Neji had a hard time easing himself through the students. He decided to pause for a second and eye the two that made their way up the stairs. Neji glared in their direction before averting his eyes which just so happened to glance over a peculiar scene that was playing out on the coffee table.

“Do another!” One student shouted. Another followed the order and snorted another line of a white powdery substance from the surface before throwing his head back in a howl. He was a football player, but if this were to spread, he wouldn’t be for long. The display was rather idiotic, but Neji couldn’t help but wonder if they had gotten it from Kankuro.

“You wanna do a line?” Naruto shouted in the Hyuga’s ear, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Neji shook his head, still stunned by the scene.

“Come on, it’s not that bad if you just do it right,” Naruto continued to shout.

Neji processed his words over the stereo bass enough to realize the boy had tried it. Neji faced the Uzumaki, working himself from his arm. “You…” Neji began only to spot the evidence just under the blond’s nose.

“Thinking about going back,” Naruto said, clenching his fists at his sides, “Sasuke?!” The boy called as if the Uchiha were somewhere beyond the house. Naruto looked all around and called a few more times before realizing the ravenette had never left his side, “Oh!” The blond laughed.

Sasuke gripped Naruto’s wrist with his usual, stone cold expression.

“What? I’m fine, I’m okay,” Naruto beamed.

Sasuke tried to pull him to the side only for Naruto to rip his hand away and stumbled back a bit.

“I’m okay,” the blond repeated.

“Sasuke, if he wants to be a druggie then let him. Let’s go swimming!” Sakura said, nearing the Uchiha who never acknowledged her.

Sasuke looked Naruto up and down silently to see if the Uzumaki’s claim was true before deciding to stay next to the blond through his night of experimentation. Sakura rolled her eyes but stayed by his side as well no matter how many signs of opposition she gave off.

Neji didn’t understand it, but he left before he was dragged into it any further. He weaved through more guests until the stairs were accessible. There he found the couple from last time, still he walked them until he reached the top floor. He looked around and remembered the mystery doors from last time. He heard one open and watched as Hinata emerged from the room wearing a red one piece with Kiba trailing behind her. The Inuzuka frowned when he saw her supposed brother eyeing him from the top of the stairs. Neji approached the two much to the younger male’s dismay.

“Neji, I’m okay. I’ll be in the pool,” she assured.

Neji paused in his steps keeping his distrusting eyes on the doggish boy behind her. The two remained unmoving, caught by his glare before Hinata began to walk towards him to reach the stairs. Kiba avoided his gaze as he followed the girl down the steps. Neji’s eyes remained on the room the two had been in. He waited for them to be out of scope before walking towards it and letting himself in.

He looked over the mess of the dark room as if it would give him insight on what had gone on in there. It was clear that it was once Kiba’s elder sister’s bedroom, but the boy had repurposed it as his own. Neji tried to be reasonable to remember that they had not been in the room long enough for anything eventful to have occurred, so he began to walk out when he noticed the boy’s school bag. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw it, but it seemed empty and neglected where it lied against the carpet. Neji saw a bit of plastic sticking out of the main compartment and looked to the door to see if he were being watched before kneeling before it. He pulled on the plastic to reveal even more of the drug accompanied by even more bags. The Inuzuka’s seemingly endless allowance would be the death of him. Neji bit his lower lip as he stared to it before stuffing each bag into his shirt. He then stood, crossed his arms tightly, and walked down the hall, shutting himself in the restroom. He opened each bag and began pouring it all into the toilet. He then decided to scatter the plastic bags in the different trashcans of the house to lessen suspicion. He figured the Inuzuka would guess that other students found his stash and depleted his inventory, so what he was doing did not make him too nervous. Neji thought back on the short term effects the drug had on Naruto. He knew that what he was doing was for a good cause. He did not want the drug to reach more students or corrupt Kiba alone.

Neji stepped out of the final bathroom having dumped the last bag. He exhaled steadily but it was cut short.

“Hey,” Shikamaru greeted next to him with a drink in hand. His free hand hung in his pocket.

Neji jumped due to being more anxious than he thought about getting rid of the Inuzuka’s contents.

“What’re you doing?”

“Nothing,” Neji answered shortly.

Shikamaru nodded as he sipped from the plastic cup.

“So, are you still prohibited from seeing me?” The Nara asked.

“Yes.”

“Right,” Shikamaru said seeing as how the Hyuga still stood right before him without making a single attempt to avoid him.

“Have you seen Hinata?” Neji asked crossing his arms.

“Pool.”

Neji averted his eyes from the boy. He did not want to be in that house or anywhere near it. “I have a number of things due tomorrow.”

“I’ll do them on the bus.”

“No, I have a project due that can only be completed using a computer.”

“Shino has a computer,” Shikamaru offered.

The two walked through the hall until they reached a study where Shino Aburame was slouched in a bean bag chair with his laptop glowing against his face. He wore thick headphones over his head and jabbed his fingers all over the keyboard. He had to be playing some sort of computer game. Neji wondered why the boy decided to attend the party if he wouldn’t partake.

Shikamaru approached the loner, “Shino!” He yelled over what he assumed the headphone’s volume would be.

Shino paused his game and looked to the Nara before looking to Neji through his round-framed black glasses.

“Can he use the computer?” Shikamaru asked, tilting his head towards the Hyuga who still stood awkwardly in the doorway.

Shino only stared silently.

“What do you want?” The Nara sighed fully expecting some sort of bargain from the normally quiet boy.

“Money for dung beetles.”

“Done.”

Neji’s eyes wandered curiously before Shino handed him the bulky laptop that had a keyboard that flowed many colors at once weighing much more than Neji had expected it to. The Hyuga walked towards the bean bag chair and sat down. Shikamaru sat down next to him and lifted the heavy-duty headphones just to see what Shino had been listening to. The Nara raised his brows at the volume before placing them on an unexpectant Hyuga. Neji took no time removing the contraptions from his head after the loud dubstep pierced his train of thought. He lowered the headphones to the ground as the Nara laughed next to him.

“Did you not come here with friends?” Neji asked.

“I guess.”

Neji logged into his school account, “Where are they?”

Shikamaru placed his elbow against the bean bag chair and leaned his head against his hand, “Probably somewhere smoking.”

Neji raised a brow as his assignment loaded onto the screen, “Is that all you do?”

“No, we hang out, go places. You should come with us some time.”

“Just being in the same room with you could get me into trouble,” Neji reminded the boy.

“I know, but you could hang with them and I could come later. He’s not tracking my phone.”

“I am not going to go against my father’s rules just to see what you all do in your free time,” Neji declined as he looked over his presentation.

“Okay, well what do you do with your friends?” Shikamaru asked.

“Community service, if not then we study together.”

“That’s it?”

“We go to the football games.”

“Who doesn’t?”

“What is your point?” Neji asked as he typed.

“Nothing,” the Nara said before sipping his beverage. “What class is this?”

“Business.”

Shikamaru continued to watch the Hyuga as he worked.

“You do not have to watch me speed through my assignments. We are at a party; I am sure you have something else you would prefer to do,” Neji said.

“Not really.”

The answer was interesting to Neji, but he continued to work on each slide diligently.

“Does he think I’m just lazy or something?” Shikamaru asked.

“He said that your father is involved in the wrong business,” the Hyuga corrected, “Little does he know, we are just as involved,” he then mumbled.

“What a drag,” the Nara groaned before sliding down until his back rested against the room’s carpet. He placed the cup onto his stomach and balanced it as Neji worked.

The Hyuga continued to type in silence as his mind ran a separate trail of thoughts. Shikamaru seemed rather persistent about meeting up when Neji had told him repeatedly that his father would make life a challenge if he were to even speak to the Nara. Shikamaru then slowly rose to a stand.

Neji looked to him, “Where are you going?”

“Just turning on this lamp,” the Nara responded as he reached over Neji to flip a switch on a tall lamp located right behind the seat. It made it easier to see the keys so Neji wouldn’t make as many spelling errors.

“Thank you.”

“Mh,” Shikamaru hummed before sitting next to the Hyuga all over again. Nothing about him told Neji that he was even thinking of leaving. It made him curious until he remembered what they were prior to everything in the last two weeks.

“Do you just want sex?”

“No,” the Nara put simply. He was relaxed as though the question had not taken everything of Neji to voice, “Is that what you want?” Shikamaru asked.

“No,” Neji assured quickly before getting back to his assignment.

“It just seems kinda hard to get a hold of you with everything going on,” Shikamaru said, standing up.

Neji kept his eyes to the screen, regretting his choice of words. He did not want the boy to leave but did not have the nerve to tell him to stay, so he continued working speechlessly as Shikamaru made his way through the door.

Once the boy was gone, Neji’s hands stopped moving across the keyboard. He took a deep breath and mentally kicked himself for suggesting such a thing. It was an unnecessary question; if Shikamaru only wanted to maintain their initial relation, then it would have shown through his actions.

Suddenly, he heard a door from down the hall swing open and loud, rushed footsteps paired with yelling.

“No! You only care about yourself! You blame it all on being too scared to do anything, but you’re just dirty! You’re just dirty! Go sleep with all those girls, but while you’re at it, delete my contact, my social media, all of it! Wipe it clean from your phone! Don’t talk to me anymore, don’t even look my way!” It was Karui. She rushed down the hall and past the study. Neji furrowed his brows and looked to the door wondering if Omoi would add anything to the argument only for a silence to follow. Eventually, the boy’s figure appeared in the doorway. He was rubbing his neck awkwardly before catching sight of a confused Neji.

“Have you seen Shikamaru?” Omoi asked shyly.

“Downstairs.”

“Thanks,” the boy painfully smiled before trudging away.

Neji shut his eyes to regroup before he continued typing and checking his sources. He then checked his phone for any messages he might have missed because of the loudness of the stereo. There were none shockingly. He sighed rubbing his tired eyes trying his best to focus back on the assignment only to end up massaging his temples. He considered taking a late grade, but it would have been ridiculous to give up this far into the project. He stared to the words while slowly shaking his head. He couldn’t do it. The house was too loud, and he had other assignments lined up. He shamed himself for allowing everything to pile up. He then remembered the three vacation days Hiashi had given him and wondered if the three still stood though he doubted it heavily. He then heard footsteps approaching and felt the newcomer sit right next to him now holding two cups and a party sized bag of chips.


	27. Chapter 27

Shikamaru eased the two cups to the ground and removed the bag of chips from between his lips. He then observed the Hyuga to find that every bit of him told of his stress. “Take a break,” he said, “I don’t know if you drink soda, but I figured you wouldn’t want the alcohol.”

“I need to finish this. Omoi is looking for you,” Neji placed his hands on the keyboard.

“He’ll be okay without me. Skip school tomorrow.”

“I cannot skip school after getting into trouble so many times,” Neji said as though it were the simplest thing on earth.

Shikamaru took a sip of his carbonated drink before standing to shut the door, “Better?”

“Thank you,” the bass still rumbled through the house.

Shikamaru then turned the computer to face him.

“What are you doing?” Neji asked.

Shikamaru typed without saying anything.

“I need to work.”

“Here,” Shikamaru reached across Neji’s lap to grab the headphones, “put these on.”

Neji placed the headphones over his ears all while giving the boy an unimpressed look. Shikamaru pressed the play button and old jazz started playing. It sounded like the type to be played during the winter holidays. Neji lifted one earmuff and opened his mouth to speak.

“It helps,” Shikamaru assured as he opened the bag before lying his back against the side of the bean bag chair. The Nara shut his eyes as he crunched on the mouthful.

Neji shut his mouth and kept one ear open just in case the boy had anything else to say. He then focused on the information on the screen and decided to tackle the smaller assignments first. He was productive with the new constant sound with a steady rhythm keeping his attention narrow. He had forgotten the Nara was there until the boy readjusted where he sat. Neji looked to where his head rested against the side of the chair. He then removed the headphones and put them on Shikamaru who showed no opposition.

“You didn’t like it?” The Nara assumed.

“I did, but you seem bored.”

“I can stare at a brick and have the time of my life.”

Neji didn’t know how to respond to that so he sat with his mouth slightly ajar before the door swung open. It was TenTen.

The girl looked to Neji before her eyes glanced to the Nara who she didn’t expect to find nearly leaning against the elder male, briefly pausing her train of thought. She then looked back to the Hyuga, “Neji, come down here.”

Everyone stared at Neji as he glared at both the Inuzuka and Uzumaki who stood still refusing to take the matter seriously. Instead of taking the Hyuga’s words to heart, Kiba was smiling. Only Naruto looked slightly uneasy at Neji’s anger.

“Why?” Neji began with Hinata behind him.

“Neji, I…” Hinata tried.

All it took was for the male to look back at the girl for her to silence herself.

Shikamaru then stepped up, “Neji, they’re harmless. She’s just gonna get a little high and then it’ll level off.”

Neji only looked to the Nara who was trying to calm the situation.

“Yeah, Neji calm down,” Kiba grinned groggily before giggling, “Just takes the edge off. It’s not even a big deal. So, what she got cut? I doubt she’s ever even seen her own blood seeing how scared you guys are of everything.”

“Neji stop being uptight, okay? You’re being dramatic,” Ino said. That was exactly what she said during lunch the day he walked away from the group. Neji eyed her at a loss of words. His eyes then drifted to TenTen who stood closely by the Yamanaka who would never even give the girl the time of day. Neji’s eyes then fell back to Kiba who continued to brush it all off as Hinata held her hand painfully.

“Chill, there’s plenty of dudes here, maybe you can find one to fuck or something – I don’t know – just to get the stick out of your ass,” he chuckled getting a rise out of a few of the other boys in the crowd.

Neji only stood silently. He was stiff. His heart pounded though nothing on the outside showed of his irritation.

“Hey,” Shikamaru spoke, “That’s a little fucked up,” the Nara said lightly, keeping his eyes to the ground. He cleared his throat as if he had never said anything.

Kiba’s grin grew as he slowly looked to the boy, “Shut the fuck up, hippie. He’s cool with it, we’re friends, you’re fuck buddies.” He said before wrapping an arm around the Hyuga. “What do you know?”

Shikamaru then stood similarly to Neji. He only stared to the hound of a boy. Kiba should not have known that. The Nara looked to Neji who was stunned. He hadn’t told the Inuzuka of their arrangement. He watched as a number of people held their hands over their mouths. Some grabbed their phones to either text others over the matter or record just in case a fight broke out.

“Neji, I’m fine,” Hinata promised.

“Nothing you say has weight Hinata. You allowed them to pressure you into taking that pill and now your hand is bleeding. How will we explain this?” Neji asked turning his back to Kiba to face the girl. She stuttered and dropped her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She knew Neji would get the heat of it all. He was supposed to watch the girl and failed miserably.

“Oh, Dad this, Dad that. You worship that guy, don’t you? I mean, don’t go off on her. She just knows how to loosen up, maybe she could teach you some things,” Kiba laughed, elbowing Naruto urging a laugh from the boy. Naruto could only manage half of a nervous smile before dropping the front entirely. He was not as far gone as Kiba; that much was clear.

Neji spun around to face Kiba again, “You couldn’t even treat the wound?”

“I told her where the kit was,” Kiba defended with a shrug of his shoulders.

Neji’s tongue stopped again. He wasn’t one that was adept at arguing, but his mind flowed with a number of reasons as to why Kiba was in the wrong, but the boy just wouldn’t see it, so Shikamaru spoke up for him.

“Yeah, but why didn’t you help her, man?” The Nara questioned.

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” Kiba slurred pointing a harsh finger at him.

“Did you pressure her into it?” Shikamaru continued.

“I didn’t do shit!” Kiba huffed, stepping in front of the Nara, “She wanted to do it. She did it. Okay? Just let Neji speak if he has such a problem. She wanted to do it, so she did it. She cut herself and I told her where the kit was. I don’t see why you guys are so bent out of shape.”

“Because I know my sister more than anyone else, and she would have never wanted to go through with such a thing unless some outside influence pushed her to do it,” Neji answered.

“That’s your own fucking problem!” Kiba exclaimed. His anger issues weren’t unknown.

“Not only that, but you did not lift a finger to follow her and help her patch herself up or disinfect the cut,” Neji argued.

“Whatever! So, it’s my fault! It was an accident! Just go patch her up if it’s such a big fucking deal!” He breathed heavily through his nose, clenching his jaw.

Everyone could see what was happening. Some began to distance themselves.

Neji only stared to the raging teen.

Shikamaru lowered his cup, “Kiba…”

“Shut…” Kiba began only to swing his arm, connecting his fist to Shikamaru’s face. He knocked the boy to the ground before straddling him, wrestling with his arms to get back to the boy’s face. “Shut up! Shut the fuck…” Kiba landed another punch.

Shikamaru grabbed his drink from the side and splashed it into Kiba’s eyes distracting him enough to shove the Inuzuka back only to be banged against the floor all over again.

Kiba’s eyes were squinted from the burning sensation, but he became more aggressive having been provoked. He forgot about punching and began to choke Shikamaru, occasionally slamming the boy’s head against the ground. The Nara kicked and tried to pry the other’s hands from around his neck only to find that the Inuzuka outmatched him in strength.

Neji then kneeled and grabbed Kiba from behind, trying to get the boy off of the Nara as best as he could. Finally, Neji gripped his hair roughly and yanked back as hard as he could, bringing Kiba back against him. The larger male fell back, knocking the Hyuga to the floor. Neji then wrapped his arm around Kiba’s neck and used his other arm to lock its position.

“Fucking bitch, get the fuck off,” Kiba grunted through the chokehold.

“Neji!” Hinata yelled.

“Go clean your cut!” Neji said as he struggled to hold the other still.

“Get off!” Kiba continued to hiss.

Neji watched Shikamaru sit up, covering his injured eye. The Nara was breathing heavily after the brief and sudden brawl.

“Fuck off!” Kiba then bit into Neji’s arm which yanked away from the harsh teeth. “Don’t ever think you can just,” Kiba then reached up and grabbed a fistful of Neji’s hair, “Decide when to grow a pair of balls,” yanking down on it hard enough to slam the boy’s head against the hardwood floor.

Finally, the other teammates intervened and grabbed a hold of Kiba who kicked and yelled slurs and curses at either boy who sat stunned and aching.

TenTen rushed to help Neji from the ground. The Huyga rose to a steady stand looking to Ino who only recorded everything as opposed to helping Hinata upstairs. She only looked to Neji as though there was no reason for his scowl. He waited until Kiba was dragged out of the room before speaking, “Is Hinata upstairs?” He asked, holding his head.

“She went with Karui and Sakura,” Ino answered as she typed away on her phone.

. . .

“Yes, I’d like to speak to Tsune Inuzuka please.” Hiashi was pacing in the living room as the two teens sat on the sofa patched up, drained of energy, and discouraged from ever attending another party. “This is Hiashi Hyuga, father of Neji and Hinata Hyuga. Your son not only got a hold of drugs, he beat on my son and apparently harmed another student in doing so, so I suggest you get your son under control!” A pause, “I don’t care what hour it is; my son and daughter are hurt now and you’re not even in the area to handle it!” He allowed the woman to argue, “Oh, he’s on medication? I see. Well, either change doctors or switch to a different medication!” He yelled before ending the call. “Were you not with your sister?!” It was now Neji’s turn to take the blame.

“I was not,” Neji admitted shamefully.

“That is the only reason I allowed you to go, and you couldn’t even do that much?! Where were you?! Was that Nara boy there?”

Neji looked to the man.

“You were with him?”

Neji said nothing.

“Answer me! Gods!”

“Yes sir.”

“Give me your phone. You can’t use the car for any reason at all. You are to stay inside until school opens and when it does, you explain to your teacher why you missed those club events then explain to him why you will be late to the rest because I’ll be driving you and I have work of my own to attend to. You get a limit of three hours of computer use, so you better make it count. No television or music. For the first few days you can only leave your room for food, you have your own restroom so using it will not be an excuse. You will do your chores before sundown, and if you fail to do so, you will receive penalty for not doing them at all. Do not ask me for anything. I am disabling your card as soon as I am done working tomorrow. Do not ask when it will be enabled, do not ask when you can leave this house, do not ask when your punishment will end, because if you do, I will extend it. Do you understand me?”

“Yes sir,” the male said as he calmly handed his device to the fuming man who snatched it right from his fingers.

“Go to your room, I don’t want to even look at you for the rest of the night. Hinata you go too, I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Hiashi ordered with a face that glowed red.

Neji stepped into his room and looked through the window to the stars over the neighborhood as he leaned against his bedroom door. There was no telling when the punishment would be lifted, but telling from Hiashi’s harshness, the man would figure out everything Neji had been tangled into and soon.


	28. Chapter 28

“What do you think?” TenTen asked as she walked adjacent to Neji across a bridge linking building to building over a stream.

“There are other colleges out there,” Neji answered.

He had forgotten that senior advisement classes would be touring a number of different college campuses that day meaning he was excused from presenting in front of his business class later on. He was grateful because he had not practiced what he would say. Still, he was fairly confident in his grade given that he was adept at making his way through just fine under pressure. That is, unless he were to be pressured by a number of mysterious men who were forcing him to break the law repeatedly.

The class then entered what had to have been the cafeteria building and it stood similarly to a mall, but instead of clothing stores, there was a wide selection of lunch and breakfast foods. Some eating stops even reached to the second floor, but the upper level consisted mainly of school supplies, school merch and any dorm necessities. Music played overhead as the university students continued about their day.

The two looked around in awe at the massiveness of it all before they heard a boisterous call echo through the grand space.

“Neji! TenTen!”

The two looked across the building, having no trouble pinpointing the direction of the call to find their old friend Rock Lee waving and leaving his own tour group to meet the two. The three had been a group of their own in middle school but parted as soon as high school began. Lee just so happened in live just out of the high school’s district range oddly enough. Though they parted, he had not changed. He wore jogging shorts over sports leggings with a green t-shirt to top it all off and on his back was a simple string bag which they assumed might have been filled with energy bars or drinks.

“How long has it been?!” Lee beamed, halting right next to TenTen, “Oh, TenTen, you have gotten taller,” he noticed, holding a hand over her head then nearing it to his own nose.

“You haven’t changed,” the girl grinned, raising a brow. She crossed her arms and looked the boy up and down, “How’s the new school?”

“It is great! Their gym is large, and I use it to complete my morning exercises before the day begins. During lunch, I return to the gym and repeat the exercises during the first half of the period, then I eat for the remainder of the hour. Once the day concludes, I either return to the school gym, or I run around my neighborhood before beginning homework, eating a balanced dinner, and getting the necessary hours of sleep that I need to start the cycle over again the next day!” He was incredibly loud.

TenTen chuckled, “Wow. Are you okay?” She rather missed the overly excited boy.

“Never better! And to add to it, the gym instructor joins me during my training and has given me tips on how to maintain my muscle mass!”

For the boy to be so active, he was more lean than muscular, however he was still rather tone. There was definitely evidence of the routine which many would consider to be a sign of insanity.

Neji and TenTen looked to each other. The girl broke out into laughter while Neji shook his head.

“What have you two been up to?” The energized boy finally questioned.

“You know, just trying to graduate,” TenTen answered honestly, “Softball, you know.”

“Soft ball?! You should have told me! I will come to your next game!”

“I’ll send you the date and ticket price.”

“I will be there! How about you, Neji?!”

The Hyuga thought over everything that had happened to him recently. “Trying to graduate,” he echoed the girl.

“I see,” Lee nodded, his smile stopping for just a moment before it returned full swing, “Well, I am glad to see you again!”

“Me too, we should all catch up,” the girl suggested, dropping her hands into her pockets. “Made any new friends?”

“Yes, I have!” Lee did not go further into detail, so they left it at that. “Have you?!”

TenTen didn’t answer when Neji had expected her to do all of the talking. The Hyuga looked to the girl who seemed to be peering off into the distance.

“Shit,” the girl mumbled.

“Hm?” Lee questioned before turning his head, spotting a boy approaching them that wore layered clothing and a bruised eye with a scabbed lip.

“Is that…” TenTen paused as the answer revealed itself. It was Shikamaru the day after the fight against Kiba.

Neji watched the Nara as he approached as nonchalantly as ever. The blows Kiba delivered to the Hyuga weren’t nearly as rough as whatever he had given the Nara thankfully, still the boy’s wounds go to show just how much the Inuzuka truly disliked Shikamaru though he never voiced it explicitly.

Lee watched as the newcomer stopped in front of a concerned Neji.

“Gods,” the Hyuga said as he scrutinized either blemish against Shikamaru’s skin, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at school?” Neji wouldn’t have known if the boy ever attended class; the Hyuga had barely stepped foot onto campus before his class was boarded onto city buses and escorted to the college campuses.

“Didn’t want to leave the house looking like this, but I guess I had to anyway,” he reached into his pocket and handed the Hyuga a new and seemingly untouched cellular device, “Here. They wanted me to get this to you.”

“This way!” The tour guide called, directing the class to the next site.

They all looked to the adult and debated on falling behind.

“Just take it. Apparently, they tried texting you last night, but your dad answered,” Shikamaru neared him and spoke quietly, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

“Who?” TenTen asked.

“No one,” Neji answered quickly before following the tour group. Shikamaru tagged along, determined to finish his given task for the day. They all exited the cafeteria doors and caught up to the group that was being briefed in front of the expansive library covered in windows, topped with solar panels.

Shikamaru continued to speak to the Hyuga in a hushed voice, “I tried texting you, but your dad answered that too.”

Neji kept his eyes on the tour guide before locking eyes with TenTen and Lee who stood by them curiously. Neji frowned before grabbing Shikamaru by the arm and directing him towards a bench that sat in front of a flower bed of various colors that formed a neat pattern from a bird’s eye point of view. Next to the bench was a statue of an intricate design and a stand constructed out of the same material. It explained the story behind the sculpture but was often passed by even now. Neji stopped right before the statue and crossed his arms, looking Shikamaru right into the eye that had been left untouched by the feral boy from last night. The silence he gave the Nara told the younger to continue now that they were at a distance.

“Look, I’m guessing they figured out your situation. They want to give you this phone so when you’re on punishment they can still reach you or something,” he kept a notch above a whisper.

Neji looked to the phone in his hand hesitantly. He shut his eyes knowing that if he took the phone, they could message him whatever and whenever. He did not wish to be associated with the ominous group any longer, however if he did not accept the device, consequences may be worse. The men seemed to know their every move. Neji tightened his grip to his sleeves before taking the phone from the Nara’s grip unexpectedly and heading back towards the group.

“Neji,” Shikamaru spoke up.

The Hyuga saw how the other two continued to stare them down. Neji supposed TenTen had filled Lee’s mind up with superstitions by then and Neji was not yet ready to confirm or deny them. He turned to face the Nara with a questioning look with a tinge of annoyance. The annoyance was not a direct result of the boy’s unexpected attendance on the trip, rather of the mysterious organization they could not seem to shake from their shoulders. He began to feel a bit sick thinking about what was in store for them. His confidence and sense of security had dropped significantly since Shikamaru’s arrival which was another reason as to why he supposed he actually may have been in fact annoyed at the boy’s sudden appearance.

Shikamaru caught the male’s expression and dropped his own gaze to the ground. The Nara placed his hands into his pockets before motioning for the Hyuga to come back with a simple tilt of his head.

Neji walked towards Shikamaru, nearing his own face to the younger’s, silently asking for an explanation.

“I don’t know where Hizashi is. He wasn’t at my place last night or this morning. He just left a note that told me everything should work itself out, whatever the hell that means,” he shrugged.

“Well, clearly he handled nothing,” Neji spat quickly, holding the new phone up.

“Look, I’m in the dark just like you. If I get a lead, I’ll let you know. At this point, all we can do is try to not freak out too early; it’s more stress.”

“How could I not feel uneasy with everything that has happened?” Neji spoke even lower than Shikamaru.

“If you follow me this way, we’re going to head towards the gym,” the tour guide called out.

Neji spun on his heel and began to follow the rest of the group. He then paused in his tracks and studied the group before turning back towards the Nara halfway.

“Give me your number,” he ordered, handing the phone to Shikamaru who had begun reading about the statue through the stone podium.

The Nara took it wordlessly and added his contact before handing the phone to the restless male who seemed to be anxiously watching as he typed. He was rattled by it all; the Nara could tell. “Relax.”

Neji gave the Nara a cutting glare before sliding the device into his pocket. The two stared at one another silently deciphering what the other may be thinking.

“Neji, they’re getting kinda far,” TenTen called.

“They are heading towards a math building!” Lee informed just a bit further down the path than her.

Neji lowered his stare before nodding to Shikamaru.

“See you,” he said before Neji rushed to rejoin the tour group that had just about finished half the tour without him.

. . .

“Glad you could make it,” Kakashi smiled from behind his mask before sticking a handheld pole through an emptied soda can that had been tossed to the side of the road.

“I apologize for missing that last few meetings,” Neji said as he held a garbage bag open for the man.

“We all have things outside of school. I trust that whatever it was is more important than picking up trash or planting trees.”

Neji offered a false smile that proved to be less than temporary as the man dropped more trash into the bag. The club was cleaning litter on the side of the road as their form of weekly community service. He then heard a car door shut a short distance away which was odd given that there was no parking anywhere near them. He looked to find the blond woman standing outside of her car as she folded her sunglasses and held them in between her fingers. She studied Neji whose soul had drained at the sight of her.

“Do you know her?” Kakashi asked, watching the boy’s reaction to a simple appearance.

Neji lowered the bag gently before deciding it was more than likely in his best interest to approach the woman. He walked towards her through the grass cautiously yet obediently.

“Good decision,” the woman said before opening the car door for him.

“I cannot leave,” Neji found himself saying regrettably.

The woman raised a brow, “Why not?”

“My father tracks me.”

“I thought he took your phone,” she narrowed her eyes as her red nails clicked against the car door.

Neji could feel Sakura, Karui and Kakashi along with a number of other club workers watching him, “I am only allowed to have it when I am away from home.”

“Oh, easy. Give it to one of them,” she said motioning her hand out towards the other students.

Neji turned to find a skeptical Karui, a curious Sakura and a dead still Kakashi all studying him without bothering to hide it.

“Hurry up, I have somewhere I need to be in the next two hours,” she said before climbing into the driver’s seat and studying her face in the mirror.

. . .

The two rode silently down the highway. There was no music, only the sound of the car speeding through the road and over occasional bridges.

“Neji, do you know who we are?” She asked.

“No,” he answered quietly.

“Fair. I’ve only met you once. You were little. I guess the life he fell into was too much for him to balance with being a caregiver. It was a shame to find out he doesn’t seem to have custody of you. It was an even bigger shame to find out that his brother wouldn’t even claim him. Hizashi was embarrassing anyways, a self-destructive mess. If only you had seen how many bottles the man had lying across the floor when I visited,” a grimace only reached her eyes before it dropped, and they finally took an exit from the freeway. He could tell they were somewhere he never had any business to go as soon as he caught sight of the city buildings. It was rare that he and his family traveled into the city; they lived more so on the outskirts. Neji looked to his new phone and unlocked it to find two contacts and only two contacts – an unknown number and the Nara.

“I’d be careful with who you contact using that phone. I wouldn’t add my friends’ numbers,” she said after only taking a quick glance to the boy’s lap.

Neji said nothing and scrolled through the contacts on his initial phone to find contact H. He figured the man was already wrapped up in whatever was going on, so he decided to add it for good measure. If his safety depended on the man doing what he was told, he should keep tabs on him every now and then.

Before he knew it, they were turning into the parking of an apartment complex that seemed to cost more than he was worth. It was obviously very new, yet classically elegant like something from a movie screen. Even the cars that were parked in the lot were intimidating just to be around. They were all costly and added to the millionaire atmosphere, most of which Neji was sure he could not even pronounce the names of. It was something that would make anyone around them assume that each resident’s apartment took up an entire floor of the building. He had been staring so long and been so wound up by his thoughts that he failed to notice when the woman exited the vehicle. Before he knew it, she was opening his door.

“Come on,” she nodded towards the building, “They’re upstairs.”


	29. Chapter 29

The two rode in the elevator as it stretched further and further upwards. Neji stood behind the woman who was still a stranger to him as he looked to the button panel. She pushed the number of one of the highest floors. Luckily, the elevator didn’t stop at all; it was a straight shot form ground level. After slowing, the lift finally came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal tall double doors that needed a keycard to get into, but the woman knocked rather than being able to open it herself. As they waited, Neji observed the area outside of the apartment. There were potted plants on either side of the doors and painted portraits of fruits that seemed to somehow be classics without Neji having memory of ever seeing them. There was a royal air to just the entrance; he could only imagine the actual apartment itself.

“Excuse the wait. He’s slow these days,” the woman said, keeping her face to the tall, gold framed doors.

Neji only bit the inside of his lower lip and nodded, keeping his stare lowered, worried that he was intruding with just his eyes. He felt incredibly out of place. It was getting late. Though there were no windows in the current room, he could feel it.

Finally, the doors sounded as the knob turned from the other side and from behind it appeared a cheerful man with long brown hair with grey streaks, still the silver did nothing to take away the man’s youthful aura. He was of a darker complexion and took no time in greeting the Hyuga.

“Ah, Neji, it’s lovely to finally have you here. Come,” he insisted as he reached out and guided the male by the back. “We are all gathered in the living room. Don’t worry, you’re safest here than anywhere else. We only want to help you two.”

The apartment was just as he imagined it and more. There were few walls to section the complex into different rooms, rather it was a large, elegant space with marble floors adorned by white furniture that was painted by the sky’s hues that shone through the elongated window panes on the ending side of the apartment. The only thing that separated the entrance from the kitchen and its bar were tall standing pillars which kept the area from ever darkening during the day. Finally, they reached the den where a rather large, white couch sat on golden pegs that supported its weight. It sat before an electronic fireplace that stood below a large flat screen television. Neji finally thought over the man’s words and noted that the stranger had mentioned two rather than just Neji himself.

The Hyuga looked over the group of people in the room and was immediately put on edge at seeing how sophisticated everyone was. They all seemed to be rather wealthy and up in age until his eyes ran over Shikamaru Nara who didn’t seem to know any more than Neji himself. Still, he maintained his calm composure and slouched against the couch.

“Sit,” the cheerful man motioned towards the seating, so Neji did slowly, cautiously right next to the Nara who remained quiet. “Can I get you anything?”

“No thank you,” Neji spoke just barely.

“Alright!” The man suddenly exclaimed with a clap of his hands, “Well, let’s begin! I am Hashirama Senju,” he held a hand out towards a man who was also up in age but a bit younger than himself, “This is my brother Tobirama,” he then motioned towards an even younger man who had two toned hair, “This is my youngest brother, Itama.” As he introduced them all, he kept the genuine smile that wrinkled the corners of his eyes. He then placed a hand on the cold woman’s shoulder, “This here is my granddaughter, Tsunade and her husband Dan,” he finished, nodding towards another man with hair white as snow.

“Ex-husband,” the woman corrected hoarsely without acknowledging his presence.

Said ex-husband only offered a pained smile with a light tilt of his head as a greeting.

“I am sure you all know who these two are if you listened to the briefing,” Hashirama spoke.

“I’m guessing the preppy one is Neji Hyuga and the one battered and bruised is Shikamaru Nara,” Tobirama went off of a hunch.

Hashirama chuckled, “Thank you, Tobi.”

The second brother didn’t seem to smile much compared to his elder. The brown-haired man then turned towards the two teens who still sat cluelessly. A silence stretched over the room as the fire crackled in the background.

“We’re partners with the men who have been terrorizing you,” Tsunade stepped up finally seeing as no one else knew how to get started. “We have no desire to mess with innocent kids especially if their caretaker is likely to get the feds involved,” she looked to Neji specifically who remained tense at the unfamiliar surroundings and setting sun. “It would only be more blood on our hands,” she said, refraining from beating around the bush. “Our partnership came with a deal, otherwise we would be at each other’s necks like years ago. They offered us police protection if we distributed their product and did some of their bidding from time to time. However, lately it’s gotten to be a bit much. They’ve begun to act as though they rule us as opposed to working with us, and we’re in the middle of trying to figure out how to turn it around before it gets ugly.”

“All while this is happening,” Tobirama stepped forward, “You children have no business getting caught in the thick of things. Our partners enjoy torture and psychological games regardless of who they puppet. You are not essential in their business affairs, they simply enjoy watching you two in distress which is why I assume they have eased up on Shikamaru over the years; he never showed true distress even if he is simply hiding it behind a façade,” the man looked to said Nara who continued to watch the orange sky. “We all agreed to help you out of this situation, if not then we will at least offer you protection. We cannot overstep our boundaries given our current position. It is not our say over what our partners do.”

“So, you’re doing this out of the kindness of your hearts?” Shikamaru summed up sarcastically.

“Look, we’re all busy and don’t have time to play hide and seek with your fathers. Find them since you know them better than anyone else,” Tsunade said bluntly.

“I have only just met Hizashi,” Neji mentioned as he stared hopelessly to his lap.

“Then think like a wandering junkie. Just find them and get them to us. We’re trying to offer protection and both of them are refusing to believe us. They’ve convinced themselves that they only have themselves in the middle of all of this, but quite frankly we’re only trying to get our jobs done, not terrorize anyone we find on the streets. Our partners will make things worse for us if a real cop were to figure everything out,” she spat before the sound of her heels clacked against the marble flooring and towards the bar.

It was silent again before Shikamaru opened his mouth, “Then what?” He couldn’t imagine that bringing their fathers back would put an end to their involvement.

“We can’t say,” Dan smiled nervously having been shaken up by the woman’s rage. “Our partners are unpredictable. I’m sorry, but your fathers signed themselves away to them a long time ago and are in too deep to simply quit now. So, I understand why they’re hiding, but we need them back. We need them to distribute our partner’s product if we mean to keep our partnership. Without them, there is no reason for our two organizations to refrain from going back to war,” he explained. “Please, there is no telling what all they would do to get back at us for going against our word.”

“Why do you need protection from police anyways?” Shikamaru asked as though it were the most innocent and harmless inquiry.

They all remained silent, Hashirama continued to smile, “Leave that to us. We’re trying to help you. Do you accept?” He asked, leaning down and towards the Nara who kept his hands pocketed.

Shikamaru nodded.

“Good,” Hashirama nodded, “We’re tracking your phones as we speak. Our contact information will be sent to them soon. We should get you two home; I can only imagine how much work you need to catch up on before curfew,” his smile became sinister as he poked fun at their obvious youth. “Finding your fathers should be the only task you receive for a while if we can help it. If you get a new one from our partners, contact us, and we will send someone in your place to complete it for you.”

Just then, Tsunade returned and plopped down on the couch next to Neji, placing her arm over the back rest behind the Hyuga. Her cheeks were tinted pink, and she smelled of alcohol no doubt.

“Damn bastards,” she cursed.

“Tsunade where is Nawaki?” Hashirama questioned kindly.

“How the hell should I know? Wouldn’t be surprised if he got caught in a fucking drive by since he doesn’t want to listen to jack shit I have to say.”

“Oh,” his smile grew weary, “Well, I’m glad we could get a hold of you boys. Come,” he saw the discomfort on the Hyuga’s face and decided it was time for them to depart.

. . .

“Oh, it’s no problem at all, really,” Sakura assured, “Neji,” she called just as the Hyuga turned to head towards the unfamiliar car. “Are you okay?” She asked. The question was asking about the male’s well-being, safety, absences, failure to answer, living situation and everything that occurred prior to that day. He knew this.

“Yes,” he nodded after retrieving his original phone from the girl, “Thank you again for keeping this for me,” he said before stepping away for the evening and climbing into the vehicle parked just outside of her house. She watched the male nervously before deciding that there was nothing she could do if Neji swore everything around him was in fact just fine. She stepped back into her house before the driver took off.

“You said to drop you off at school?” Don asked from the driver’s seat.

“Yes. Thank you,” Neji answered, keeping his eyes through the window. That way, it wouldn’t be suspicious for Hiashi to get a call from the boy asking for him to pick him up after a school event. Though it was a bit late, it was more believable that way. He knew the tracker told of his visitation to Sakura’s house, but anything was better than the Nara’s. Neji would come up with something. Lying would be the death of him. He looked to the Nara’s reflection through the glass. Shikamaru was watching the Hyuga for some time before finally looking through his own window. Neji continued to eye the Nara through the reflection as they drove before choosing to rest his eyes. He had no idea how they would find the two grown men if they haven’t been successful so far in even contacting the Nara’s father alone. He did not even wish to look to his phone. He knew Hiashi had loaded it with various messages long and short. Some were probably angry while others were borderline warnings. He decided to at least try to reach out to Hizashi for his location using his new cellular.

_‘It’s Neji. Where are you?’_

He locked the screen before slipping it into his pocket and working on the story he would tell Hiashi minutes from now.


	30. Chapter 30

“You picked up trash…” Hiashi began.

“Yes sir,” Neji nodded.

“Separated them into recyclables which took even more time…”

“Yes sir.”

“Then Sakura volunteered to take the recyclables home…”

“Yes.”

“So that she could drop them off at the recyclable center later on,” he finished.

Neji nodded.

“Open your mouth.”

“Yes sir.”

“And you helped which is why you went with her. Well, alright then,” the man said before he removed his own cellular from his pocket, dialing a number, “Then that’s what her parents better say if they pick up.”

Neji’s eyes grew cold as the phone rang. Still, he sat stiffly.

“Hello? Sakura, oh, hello. I’m terribly sorry to bother you. I know you must be tired after sorting through all of those recyclables,” he greeted kindly before putting the phone on speaker. There was a pause before she responded.

“I’m sorry?” She asked.

Neji’s heart sank.

“The recyclables that you all sorted through after collecting the trash from the side of the road,” Hiashi reminded.

“Oh! We haven’t done that yet. We usually do it the next day, Mr. Hyuga,” she explained.

“I see,” the man said menacingly as he gave the boy a hard stare.

Neji lowered his head.

“Thank you very much,” Hiashi said.

“Mr. Hyuga?”

“Yes?”

“Is Neji okay?”

“What do you mean?” He furrowed his brows.

“He’s just been a bit absent lately, kind of absent minded.”

“I’ll be sure to talk to him, thank you.”

“Okay, of course, no problem!”

With that, the man hung up, keeping his hard eyes on the boy. They were filled with bottled rage at his son’s now dishonesty. “Fights…” He began.

Neji shut his eyes.

“Skipping, sneaking out, turning a blind eye to your younger sister and now lying,” his voice dropped to a hiss of a whisper.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not because if you were, you would’ve had your behavior under control after the first incident!” The man shouted. “What has gotten into you?!” He questioned as he circled before spinning to face the boy who sat shamefully in his office, “What is wrong with you, Neji?” He asked honestly with softened eyes, “What is it?”

Neji kept his lips sealed.

“Answer me!”

“I don’t know,” Neji answered finally.

“What is it?” Hiashi tried again. “What is it that you’re not telling me? I am going to give you ten seconds to tell me. One…”

Neji’s mind ran as he tried to pick the most benign thing he’s done.

“Two…”

Neji kept his head lowered, eyes screwed shut.

“Three…” Hiashi grew louder because he hadn’t expected to get to even three given who Neji was by nature.

The boy kept his mouth sealed tight.

“Four…”

“A man groped me at the senior citizens home on bingo night last week,” he randomly decided only to regret it immediately. What had happened had happened long ago by Neji’s terms.

Hiashi stopped counting but Neji still refused to look for some suffocating moments. He would have to explain how that explained his misconduct. It did not exactly give it all a good reason. Finally, the younger looked up hesitantly to find Hiashi had crossed his arms, holding a firm hand over his own mouth as he thought it over. He kept his hard eyes on the boy who remained seated on the ottoman next to a bookshelf of files.

“Father, I’m sorry,” Neji repeated.

Hiashi shook his head before taking for the exit, “You don’t apologize for something like that Neji. He’s going to be sorry.”

Neji frowned hating himself even more for pinning it all on some old man who was most likely out of his element being so old. He rested his forehead against his hand before wincing at the pain from where his head hit the floor the previous night. Kiba. He mentally revisited the night and everything that had occurred. He remembered Shikamaru, Karui and Omoi’s argument, the packets in the bag, the drug on the coffee table, Naruto, Sasuke. Sasuke. Neji forgot that Hiashi said the Uchiha tried to call him some days ago. Hiashi had yet to take Neji’s phone, so he used it while the man was away.

He heard him pick up, but Saskue didn’t typically answer.

“Saskue?” Neji asked. “I missed your call.”

“It’s fine.”

“Did you need to talk about something?”

“No.”

Neji’s eyes wandered towards the office door before falling to the floor, “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“Sasuke.”

Silence.

Neji inhaled and decided to be honest. He had given the boy plenty of space, “I’m concerned.”

“Why?”

“About you.”

Silence.

“What happened?” Neji was referring to the diner break down.

“Nothing.”

Sasuke was giving him nothing to work with, so he settled. “Okay,” Neji sighed, “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

The call then ended as soon as Hiashi walked back in. “I believe you’re holding on to something else,” he spoke calmly after learning what Neji had just admitted. Oddly, the man stood in the door with his hands behind his back. “So, I’m going to give you a chance to come clean before things get worse. Now, be honest with me,” his tone was gentle. It was even more frightening than his typical roar.

Neji studied the man nervously wondering if he left his new phone lying around somewhere after he got home. That couldn’t be it, he made sure that he would hide the gadget. It was all he could think about as soon as he set foot into the house. However, it could be because of this that he slipped up with something else. Again, his thoughts began to race over one another as he mentally grabbed for straws.

Hiashi inhaled further fraying the boy’s nerves. All Neji could do was eye the man nervously.

“Neji, I wish you felt as though you could come to me about these things,” he craned his neck back and dropped his shoulders before shutting his eyes from their exhaustion.

Neji side eyed him, still clueless until a thought occurred to him. It immediately turned his stomach inside out.

Hiashi finally uncovered his hand and held out a plastic bag that contained towels wrapped around the very thing that Neji had guessed. The younger brought a limp hand to his mouth in complete horror. It was the worst thing the man could have ever found. It topped Hiashi finding out the boy was working for a gang and been speaking to the very brother he had denounced.

Hiashi steadily exhaled all over again trying to keep his cool, “Neji, can you tell me why I found this on the top rack of your closet?”

Neji’s eyes stuck to the bag as though it were going to be used to end his life right then and there.

“Neji?” Hiashi called.

The younger heard nothing. All of his attention was fixed on the clear bag. He felt his face heat up.

“Neji.”

The male remained still and unresponsive.

“Neji!”

The boy held his stomach.

“Gods,” Hiashi breathed out before rushing for the trash bin by his desk, placing it before Neji who he knew had a rather weak stomach. He sighed as the boy retched next to him. He pat Neji’s back before leaving to get water.

Neji sat there with the trash bin in his lap, staring to the wall, hunched over. He was frozen, sickened by embarrassment. He didn’t know where to go from here. He very much preferred for the man to have found the mysterious number more than this. His eyes followed Hiashi as he kneeled next to him with a glass of water. The man gave the glass to Neji who was still shaking just slightly, eyes now shot with shock. He would have to tell the secret he had been keeping longer than he had been out to the man.

“When did it start?” Hiashi asked. He started out calmly.

Neji cleared his throat, “Middle school,” he answered hoarsely before sipping the water. He frowned at the taste of his mouth.

“This started in middle school?” Hiashi raised a brow as he held up the bag that Neji blinked away.

“No, not that.”

“Neji.”

Listening to the man speak his name held a heavy hit.

“You’re doing anal?”

Neji’s head dropped, “Father…”

“And you didn’t talk to me about it, you could have gotten hurt or an STI. I know they don’t teach about this in sex ed!”

Neji covered his mouth before facing away from the man.

Hiashi lowered the volume and decided to filter his words to keep the boy from emptying his stomach a second time. “Who was it?”

Neji shook his head, silently begging him to stop the questions. It was all too much at once.

“Skipping, sneaking out, abandoning your sister, lying, and now this,” he said, squeezing the plastic that produced a loud squeak. “Well is he clean? At least tell me that!”

Neji nodded frantically keeping his lips sealed. He was beyond mortified.

“Neji,” Hiashi said softly. He placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder who wanted nothing more than to leave and hide. “I am not against who you are. I am only concerned about the risks. Even if it were a girl, I would be just as concerned as I am now,” he said calmly, “But promise me that you used protection.”

Neji nodded, throat still a bit raw.

Hiashi studied the boy a bit longer before his eyes revealed a revelation, “The Nara boy,” he whispered having realized. “It was the Nara boy.”

Neji furrowed his brows, looking to the man who was still kneeling just by him. He had given the man too much time to figure it out. He began to hate himself more and more. He weakly rolled his eyes shut.

“Well, I suppose it will no longer be a problem since you will no longer be seeing him,” he commented before standing. “I’m comforted by pregnancy not being a factor of it all. If you’re going to sneak something like this, why not someone nice and upstanding like the Uchiha boy.”

“He is not…” Neji began only to swallow drily.

Hiashi frowned in confusion, “I thought…”

It was Neji’s turn to give a look of confusion.

Hiashi looked to the ground, “Hm,” he frowned before putting it all behind him, “Go to your room and take that with you,” he pointed towards the plastic bag before leaving the boy alone.

Neji exhaled and shut his eyes of the fragments of embarrassment that remained.


	31. Chapter 31

Shikamaru stared to Neji in shock. The Hyuga kept his eyes to his food, “He found what?” Shikamaru responded in amusement poorly disguised by shock.

Neji could hear the smile in his voice. He could not understand how such a thing could ever be a laughing matter.

Shikamaru covered his face with both hands before leaning back in the riser. “Shit, Neji,” he began to laugh.

“It is not funny,” Neji stated quietly before deciding to put his lunch to the side. The two sat on the bottom row of the stadium risers to talk due to the cafeteria being out of commission only for the Nara to turn it into something comical. “And he knows it was you.”

“Huh?! You told him?” Shikamaru asked, rejoining the boy’s side.

“No. He figured it out.”

“Oh,” that got him to quiet down. “Just from the douche?”

Neji frowned at the boy’s lack of a filter. “He also told me to find someone nice like Sasuke.”

The Nara chuckled as opposed to getting offended, “I can see that.”

Neji looked to the boy, “But Sasuke does not care for men.”

Shikamaru looked him deeply in the eyes before lifting his brows, “Are you serious?”

“What?”

“Are you serious?”

Neji decided not to play his game this time and got back to his homework.

“Even your old man could see it, are you kidding?”

“Sasuke does not,” Neji assured.

“He’s the definition of closeted, man. It’s in his eyes and everything the guy does. You have to not pay any attention to the guy to _not_ see it. He’s always all over your other friend.”

Neji’s pencil froze as he began to wonder if he had missed something the Uchiha had done to give something like that away. The Hyuga never spent time with him one on one, so the only thing he could go off of was how Sasuke always seemed to gravitate to Naruto, but the Uzumaki was the polar opposite of the Uchiha. The blond’s actions always seemed to irk or disappoint Sasuke which he voiced quite often. He always made a point to diss Naruto and show his distaste towards the boy. He messed with the blond all through elementary, middle and high school. Yet, it was rare that Neji saw him out unless Naruto were coming. Neji stilled as he considered this.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru nodded, “Get it yet?”

All of Sasuke’s stressors were a combination of accelerated classes, his job and sports, parents who never listened, and now he was being told to join an additional school club. Neji wondered if what he had just guessed topped it all off the night at the diner. The Uchiha was always so close yet so far from Naruto. Each of them knew of the Uzumaki’s feelings towards Sakura and could make an educated guess that the blond preferred women if anything which had to hurt Sasuke even more.

Neji understood the feeling of being afraid to advance towards something that he knew was off limits by society’s definition. He knew how it felt to hide for so long and wonder what would happen if he were to stick his neck out. He knew how it felt to think you were in the wrong simply for having certain feelings that you wouldn’t dare speak on. Luckily, Hiashi was rather accepting but the same could not be said for the Uchiha’s parents. Upon meeting them, the Hyuga could tell what they stood for and against. Having connected the signals, memories and pieces left scattered by his friend, Neji looked to the Nara with an expression of sorrow, “Sasuke.”

“Mhm,” Shikamaru hummed as he scrolled through his phone, “Are you gonna eat your lunch?”

Neji handed the boy the box before standing.

“You gonna go talk to him right now?”

“I cannot get a hold of him any other way,” Neji answered as he made his way up the stadium steps. It was true that it was extremely difficult for anyone to get a hold of the Uchiha outside of school. The boy had a packed schedule around the clock every day. It was a discussion that Neji knew he couldn’t have over the phone because even then Sasuke ignored questions he did not wish to answer. At least if he were to speak to the Uchiha face to face, Neji would be able to read his expression in response to his words. Neji then paused. He wondered if it were his place. He did not know everything about the ravenette, but he knew the boy was not very expressive and tended to hold on to things quite often. It was almost nerve wracking wondering how many things banged against the dam Sasuke kept rebuilding. Neji looked back to the field as he contemplated. He decided to wait until after football practice to try and reach out to the boy. He had to stay after to sort the trash from recyclables that day, so he should be able to catch Sasuke once everything was done. Then, the school should be about empty, and they would not risk as many ears picking up on their discussion if Sasuke even allowed it to develop into such. He had faith that the boy could hang on for that long, just until the end of the day.

“Hey, I think someone sent you a message,” Shikamaru called from where he sat next to the Hyuga’s bag.

Neji climbed back down the stadium steps and opened the bag to find that it was the newer phone that had buzzed.

_‘Why?’ H._

Neji sat down immediately and began to type. Shikamaru noticed how fixated the male seemed to be on a single message and began to wonder but did not wish to intrude.

“It is Hizashi,” Neji informed.

“He’s just now answering?” Shikamaru asked before taking a bite of Neji’s salad.

“Yes. Have you heard from your father?”

Shikamaru didn’t answer knowing that it was an odd comment coming from him given his own father’s everlasting absence. Neji looked to the Nara who continued to pick at his bowl. He had genuinely asked.

“No,” Shikamaru answered.

“Is he normally away this long?”

“Yeah, he’s been gone longer. Since he drives for a living, he doesn’t exactly answer the phone right away,” the Nara explained.

“But he has never avoided communicating for this long,” Neji summed up. Shikamaru’s silence confirmed his assumption. Neji mirrored the younger male in watching the football field where a number of boys played a simple game of catch. Neji could not begin to figure out how they would find the boy’s father, “We will find him,” he promised, nevertheless.

. . .

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” A nurse questioned Neji who sat silently, unsure of his position on the matter. He felt his father watching him disapprovingly.

“Yes,” Neji nodded once, “He is elderly and unaware of his surroundings. It would not feel right to press charges.”

“You’re very forgiving,” the nurse smiled, “I’m sure he’ll appreciate you.”

Hiashi looked away from Neji before rising from his seat and making for the exit considering it all as a waste of time. Neji wished the woman a good day before trailing the man out.

Hiashi swung the front door of the retirement home open and made his way towards his car. Neji could tell that he wished for him to give the man what he deserved for pulling such a stunt just last week.

They climbed into the car silently. As soon as the vehicle powered, the man turned the radio off before steering out of the parking lot, “I pulled you from your club activity today only for you to forgive the man who touched you and sent you into disarray,” he lined up.

“I apologize, but the man is not in his right mind. The truth is that I have been misbehaving and…” Neji began.

“And you need to quit whatever it is that you’re doing because it makes me rethink a lot of what I’ve given you and why,” Hiashi cut off.

Neji sealed his lips. The man had picked him up from school in order to sort the issue out with the elderly man from the retirement home. Because of this, Neji was never able to find Sasuke after school to see if he would be open to talk. He would have to rethink his approach because he did not know of when the club would meet next. In addition to this, he was on punishment which meant never going anywhere without a true purpose, so he could not simply ask the Uchiha to meet him somewhere or come over. Neji looked to his initial phone that sat in the cup holder. The device was useless when it came to the ravenette. His answers were always short and blunt. He never elaborated or created conversation. The boy most likely viewed phone conversations as a waste of time considering how he runs from place to place nonstop. The Hyuga looked through the car window.

“How is TenTen?” Hiashi asked suddenly as he made an unusual u-turn at the light.

“Fine,” Neji assumed though he rarely spoke to the girl. Their classes and extra curriculars always seemed to keep them on opposite sides of campus, and they rarely messaged one another because they did not have anything to discuss necessarily. However, that did not seem to be the same case once the two were together.

“Mh,” the man hummed as he turned into the parking lot of a coffee shop. He then parked the car and turned the key, “Come on.”

. . .

They sat across from one another at an outdoor table positioned on a terrace at the back of the building. They were the only ones who chose outdoor seating because of the summer’s heat. Neji figured the privacy was intentional and Hiashi had wished to discuss his decisions and behavior all over again. Still, Neji blew over his hot tea, disregarding the weather as the man watched him skeptically.

“Neji.”

Said boy lowered his cup to the table, keeping his eyes to the beverage as it began.

“Talk to me. This is me begging you to tell me what is truly going on. It’s incredibly irritating feeling as though something is going on behind your back and the only thing indirectly letting you know are your child’s actions which seem to be irregular. Lately, you seem to be a bit more stressed than usual, secretive, and disturbed even.” His words made Neji’s head duck a bit more though barely noticeable, “Neji,” Hiashi sat forward calmly with mild concern shaping his tone, “Please, talk to me.”

“I’m sorry,” Neji repeatedly apologized for his actions and mistakes. Still, it did not answer Hiashi’s question.

“I do not enjoy punishing you, Neji. You know this. I only want to help you through whatever is going on, but I cannot do that unless you speak to me. I promise you,” he lowered his volume, “I will not worsen your punishment,” he kept his eyes on the boy who had yet to return the stare.

Neji dropped his hands to his lap wondering what he should do. He had to say something. He knew that the type of person he had proven to be over the years would never start misbehaving out of the blue. Unfortunately, nothing that he had been doing behind the man’s back was something to tell. Again, he searched for the most benign thing as Hiashi continued to study him for answers.

“Did you have sex again?”

“No,” Neji answered quickly, shutting his eyes to shake yesterday’s scene from the front of his mind.

“Are you using drugs?”

“No.”

“Are you drinking?”

“No.”

“Are you seeing someone?”

“No.”

“Are you covering something up for someone?”

“No,” a part of Neji was glad the man had begun the guessing tactic because it meant that he wouldn’t rely on the boy to fill the silence.

“Neji.”

“Yes?”

“Are you a woman?”

“No, father.”

Hiashi shut his mouth and nodded as his eyes wandered the table, “Grades?”

“All A’s.”

Again, the man nodded silently before squinting as his guesses became limited, “Why did you lie about helping Sakura? Why were you there?”

Neji could not tell the truth though he hated keeping up lie after lie. They began to pile up and would eventually contradict one another if he weren’t careful.

“You told me that you took the bag of recyclables to Sakura’s house, helped her separate them, then drove back to the school to drop off the supplies you two used to get the trash there. As you remember, when I called Sakura to ask her, she denied such a thing ever happened, so what really happened in the time you were at her house?” The man asked calmly as he dissected the events told to him.

Neji searched for answers as if they would reveal themselves in his steaming teacup.

Hiashi sighed, “Is it the Nara?” He questioned expectedly as he massaged the bridge of his nose.

“Yes,” Neji lied. He figured the tale would be less worrisome as opposed to telling Hiashi that he had gone into the city to meet millionaire strangers who were involved in gang activities. He then looked over the railing.

“Gods, Neji!” He would have continued if someone hadn’t opened the terrace door. Hiashi bit his tongue and sat back, impatiently tapping his foot. The person was a worker who cleaned a table that had been recently used. They could tell that they had interrupted something heavy, so they smiled and left after barely swiping their hand across the surface. Hiashi slowly inhaled as Neji continued to peer over the railing. The younger then furrowed his brows as he caught sight of a familiar ponytail. The man from afar then turned to a point that made his face visible. He reminded the Hyuga of Shikamaru so heavily that Neji looked to Hiashi to make sure he wasn’t watching before he snuck a photo of the man down in the parking lot. He then hurriedly slipped the device back into his lap.

Hiashi opened his eyes and stared to Neji. His back was against the chair, and he looked utterly defeated. “All of those times you had a project,” he began, “There was no project.”

Neji’s gaze was glued to the tabletop once again.

“All of this sneaking around for him,” the man continued, “Yet you deny that you feel anything towards the boy. You feel nothing but you trust him enough to allow him to…”

“We only did that once,” Neji interrupted quickly as his cheeks heated up.

“But it was not the only time you two engaged in intimate acts,” Hiashi carried on.

Neji could not deny this, however what he had said about taking it to that level in particular was true. They had only been curious, and the Nara somehow relaxed him enough to allow it. Truthfully, Neji had been just as curious only a bit more intimidated. Still, he agreed, and the Nara purchased everything necessary for them to carry the whole thing out. It went smoothly, but Neji was still a bit intimidated about the idea of going through it all again, so he put the tool to the side and left it in the dark. He only hoped Hiashi believed him.

“Alright,” Hiashi sighed after getting his answer, “I believe that there is something between the two of you that I do not need to know every detail of. I do not want you going to the boy’s house.”

Neji has heard the same words repeated many times and it has finally gotten to a point of them echoing through his mind every time he saw the Nara on school grounds.

“I do not want you to sneak behind my back and hide such things, Neji. Something could go horribly wrong and I would not know because you did not wish to tell me.”

Neji remained silent.

“He,” Hiashi was desperate for the boy to open up to him, “He can come over, you two can go out, but – not often but every now and then – _never_ his house,” he locked eyes with the other, “Never,” he emphasized.

This surprised the younger male. Hiashi was truly desperate for the lies to stop.

“I don’t want you near his father either,” he waved the concept of the man away as he leaned back in his seat, “Just, stop the lies and secrecy. I want to know what is going on with my own son.”

The terminology made something dull shift in Neji’s chest. He nodded.

“Okay,” Hiashi finalized, “I trust you.”

Neji peered over the black, metal railing to find that the man who looked so much like the Nara had disappeared.

“Neji.”

The younger gave Hiashi his full attention.

The man’s eyes were calm, forgiving, “I trust you.”


	32. Chapter 32

Neji held his phone before Shikamaru who took it and stared to the screen as if it had been missing for the better half of his life.

“That is him,” Neji finalized after watching the Nara’s reaction.

“If he’s in town, why didn’t he come home?” Shikamaru asked, still fixated on the screen.

“Maybe he has something to take care of,” Neji tried.

The Nara handed the male the phone before looking through the bus window with a doubtful yet slightly annoyed expression, “Yeah, sure.”

“The gang must be keeping him away from home. Maybe he does not wish to put you in harm’s way.”

“Whatever he’s doing didn’t work. I know his phone is broken, but he could’ve tried to reach me somehow. Borrow a phone, use a pay phone, shit, send a letter or something I don’t care,” Shikamaru slouched in the seat and dropped his bag to the floor. The school day had released, and the two were riding the bus home.

Neji lowered the device into his pocket, “He said that I am allowed to see you. The only requirement is that we stay away from your house and away from your father.”

“Who isn’t even there,” the Nara mumbled as he scrolled through his phone.

“Maybe he will visit while he is in town?”

Shikamaru shrugged, adopting his typical nonchalance as if it no longer mattered. “What did Hizashi say?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Hizashi. How did he respond after you explained everything?”

“He has not responded yet,” the Hyuga admitted

The bus then rolled to a stop at a red light. Neji did not know what else to say to lighten the air; it was not his strong point.

“What do you wanna do?” Shikamru asked, tucking his phone away and giving the Hyuga his undivided attention. The new privilege to see the elder male seemed to liven him up just slightly.

“We can try whatever it was you mentioned the night of the party,” Neji drew a blank when he was asked to make plans.

“The lake, the park, Choji’s, Akimichi Pizza, train tracks, it’s whatever you want,” the Nara shrugged a second time, tucking his hands into his sweatshirt pocket.

Neji blankly stared to the boy who was the only one out of the two of them who seemed to have any idea of what to do for leisure, “We…” He began to ponder when something seemed to have banged against the roof of the bus. It was loud and heavy and shook a number of the passengers.

“The hell was that?” Shikamaru furrowed his brows as a high-pitched squeaking noise akin to the sound of something wet sliding down glass sounded from over the bus. His ears followed the direction of the sound as it seemed to be trailing slowly towards their side of the bus. Both his and the Hyuga’s eyes stared to the metal roof and followed its direction until it sounded as though it would show itself in the window. The two looked through the glass to catch the sight of what seemed to be a person falling from the roof of the vehicle. Finally, the bus was placed in park and the driver opened the bus doors as it let out a sound of exhaust. Most of the riders stood and peered over seats and heads to catch sight of the driver and what had fallen. Unfortunately, Shikamaru and Neji had a window seat; their view was as clear as day. They saw what had fallen before the majority of the others. Neji stared to the scene in horror, Shikamaru in shock. The Hyuga’s white eyes were round, next to him the Nara’s mouth was agape.

“Holy… shit,” Shikamaru breathed, stunned.

Neji ducked and bolted towards the front of the bus in hopes of a trashcan.

. . .

Hiashi rolled the window of the passenger seat down to look at the boys who waited on the pavement along with a number of other bus passengers, “Do you have a ride, Nara?”

Shikamaru shook his head.

Hiashi put the vehicle in park and motioned for him to come on to which Shikamaru obeyed. He climbed into the back seat while Neji took the front. Hiashi then looked over the rest of the shaken students before rolling off, “Bastard,” he mumbled.

“Father,” Neji spoke.

“I wonder if he deliberately looked for the school bus just to terrorize a bunch of kids before he decided to throw himself from the building. You wonder why people like that can’t go in the privacy of their own home or something.” His words were dark.

“Father.”

“I’m sorry, but it was just evil!” Hiashi was angered by the deceased man’s decision to choose broad daylight on a public street to end his own life. He then looked in the mirror to spot Shikamaru who gazed emptily to his own lap, “I’m sorry, boys,” he breathed out quietly. Neji’s own expression mirrored the Nara’s. The two were quiet. “Shikamaru.”

The Nara looked up to meet the man’s eyes in the mirror, “Hm?” He cleared his throat, “Yes?”

“How is your father?” Hiashi asked.

“Good.”

“Is he home yet?”

Shikamaru hesitated, “No, sir.”

“Will you be fine on your own?”

Shikamaru nodded as the empty gaze returned.

. . .

Neji sat before his desk. His pen touched the paper minutes ago but failed to move from the dot the ink had created in the sheet. Neji stared to the edge of the desk that touched the wall far longer than he realized. His head slowly turned towards the window before his personal phone buzzed. Hiashi had given it back after their discussion at the coffee shop. The sudden sound made him jump because he forgot to turn the ringer down after exiting the noisy bus. He steadily exhaled to calm himself before lifting the phone. He blinked a number of times to make up for all of the time he had unconsciously been staring blankly.

_‘Have you heard?’ Sakura._

Neji frowned. He figured the girl meant the suicide over the top of the very bus he rode that day, _‘About the suicide?’_

_‘Yes,’ Sakura._

_‘Yes. I was on the bus that he landed on.’_

_‘I’m so sorry. Are you okay?’ Sakura._

_‘Yes.’_

She typed for a while on and off which reminded him of Hizashi who he had yet to find. He sighed.

_‘Did you recognize him?’ Sakura._

It was an odd question. Neji did not study the body for the face. Once he saw the man who had fallen, all he could pay attention to were the man’s gruesome injuries. His eyes did not wander to the man’s characteristics and features. He was not even offered the chance before he began to feel sick. Still, Sakura’s question began to suffocate him. His pulse rose wondering if the man had in fact been someone he knew. He let out a shaky breath as he looked through the window before responding.

_‘No.’_

_‘He was Sasuke’s cousin, Shisui Uchiha,’ Sakura._

Neji’s eyes shot open in shock. The last thing Sasuke needed was a loss in the family through such a horrible incident. It might have been sudden to them, Shisui may have been giving signs, either way suicide was suicide regardless and stung those left behind. Some recover, some do not. He wondered if Shisui and Sasuke were close. He wondered where Sasuke was, what he was feeling, what he was doing, where he would go from here. The image of the man, broken and bloodied against the pavement flashed before Neji’s mind time and time again. The Hyuga dropped his phone and rubbed circles into his eyes as he shook his head. He wondered if Shikamaru knew.

_‘Fuck,” Shikamaru._

It was his response to the details of the man’s identity.

_‘Not that I would expect you to, but have you heard from him?’ Shikamaru._

_‘No.’_

_‘This is a blow. I hope Sasuke will come back from this,’ Shikamaru._

_‘Me too.’_

Neji powered his phone off for good before leaning back in the desk chair. He looked to his watch. It was still fairly early. The sun was barely setting, but he could not focus. He stood from his seat and settled onto his bed. He lied in the white sheets, staring through the translucent curtains as the afternoon glow illuminated a good bit of the room, canceling the need for a lamp. Neji could not erase the faint frown that seemed to be here to stay at least for the day. He closed his eyes only for the image to present itself in clearer detail. He sat up and held the power button on his cellular until it revived. He began to scroll until he reached the music app and began to play something, anything to distract his mind and dilute the images. It helped a good deal, still the man would not leave his conscious. He covered his head with the blanket and shut his eyes all over again as he tried to focus on the music. As the performer sang slowly, Neji tried to picture stories that went along with the lyrics.

_I’m troubled yet living in a bubble_

_of relapsing time, it seems_

_From within comes a mumble_

_Something quiet drowned out by the trees_

_Overhead are leaves, now old and dried_

_The bubble quiets me, but I tried_

_I tried, I tried, I tried, I tried, I yell_

_No one hears me, I’m troubled, but no_

_One hears me because I am living_

_In a bubble_

Neji’s frown deepened as he reached towards the device and brought it with him under the sheets to select music that did not have lyrics. He chose acoustic guitar before lying back down. He stared to the glow of the screen against the white fabric. His mind calmed a bit before he shut his eyes a third time. Everything slowed down. He effortfully pushed out any other thoughts that begged to intrude his peace. Sometimes they would get in. When it happened, Neji would shake his head of the idea which would wake him up all over again before he could enter the second wave of sleep. Sleep. He just wanted to sleep.

. . .

His door opened which woke him. He was not a heavy sleeper.

“Neji,” Hiashi called quietly.

The Hyuga rubbed his eyes and paused the music, his phone now overheating. He sat up and squinted to see the man standing next to another male. It was night by then, and the only light that helped him identify the two came from the single desk lamp he unintentionally left on and the light that poured in from the hallway.

“He will be staying the night,” Hiashi informed as Neji’s eyes cleared. It was Sasuke. “You can rest in here if you like while I prepare the guest room,” Hiashi told the Uchiha before leaving the two alone.

Neji reached for a lamp.

“Don’t,” Sasuke said.

The Hyuga obeyed and remained seated on the bed. Sasuke simply stood before inching towards the bed and lying across the foot of it. Neji remained silent and decided to lie back down. He eyed his schoolwork that sat adjacent to his textbooks on his desk. He then shut his eyes to rid himself of the thought. He had to get it done. He pulled the covers back and stood from the bed.

“You can,” Neji began only to finish with a motion of his hand offering the boy the bed. Sasuke nodded before his lips sunk into a frown. It began to progress into a sudden and silent cry before the Uchiha covered his face and stood. He walked towards the upper side of the bed and lied down quietly. He faced away from Neji and the Hyuga settled down before his desk for the second time that day. He was willing to let the boy have the bed for himself that night. He did not wish to bother him.

Hiashi eased the door open with sheets in hand. He caught sight of the Uchiha who lied motionlessly in Neji’s bed. The man simply looked to Neji and nodded, holding up the fabrics. Neji returned the nod before Hiashi made his way down the hall leaving the male to continue his work. Neji made sure to silence his phone to refrain from waking the boy if he did in fact cry himself to sleep. He pretended to not notice him to maximize Sasuke’s comfort. Neji inhaled silently and released it before turning to chapter seven in his textbook that was lit up by the single bulb of his desk lamp.


	33. Chapter 33

Neji was awakened by his phone’s alarm and rose from the guest bed. He exited the room and began up the steps to begin his normal routine when Hiashi stopped him.

“You don’t have to go in today. Stay here with Sasuke. I have to take Hanabi to school and head to the office. Hinata will stay here too. Make sure he’s comfortable while he’s here,” Hiashi ordered in a whisper.

“Why did he come here after everything?” Neji finally asked the question that had settled to the bottom of his mind and weighed there the night previous.

“I’m unsure. I didn’t ask a lot of questions. He came to the door and only told me not to notify his parents,” not even Hiashi knew of the boy’s reasoning.

The two looked to Neji’s closed door on the higher floor.

“Do not disturb him if he’s asleep. If he wants something, get it for him. If he needs someone, get them. You have my permission to have people over if he needs it such as other family or friends that may bring him comfort, someone he trusts, because I have a feeling that he ran from his parents after such an incident for a reason.”

“Yes sir,” Neji nodded in understanding.

“Thank you,” the man said before tossing his suit jacket over his shoulder motioning for Hanabi to follow him out the door. The girl looked to Neji one last time before shutting the door behind them.

Neji took another look at his door on the upper floor before climbing the steps. Once he reached the top, he neared the door and listened for movement. He heard nothing, so he continued down the hallway until he reached Hinata’s room. He heard footsteps and figured she was awake unlike the other. He knocked and listened as the feet neared the door. She opened it to reveal herself still dressed in her night gown, “Hi,” she whispered softly. She then stepped to the side to allow the male in who sat on her bed that always had a thick, woven blanket over it regardless of the season. She always seemed to be cold year-round. “How is he?” She asked quietly. It was still relatively early. The two had yet to fully wake, and the house was a bit dull from it being early morning. The sun usually rose on the opposite side of the house which made their rooms darker than the rest of the home until the afternoon.

Neji gave the girl a look that told of Sasuke’s state of being.

“Should I make something?” She wondered aloud.

“We should leave him alone to sort through everything he is feeling before speaking to him,” Neji decided, “After last night, I am sure he is worn.”

Hinata nodded as she settled next to the male, “Did you know him? Shisui?”

“No.”

The girl knew that Neji had seen the grotesque display yesterday, “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Neji assured through a sigh, “Are you?”

The girl nodded. Neji looked to her. It seemed as if an eternity had passed since he had spoken to her.

“Neji?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry Father treats you differently,” she apologized unnecessarily.

“Does he?” He asked though he noticed the differences over the years.

“He is short with you and more strict. He punishes you more.”

“I misbehave more often than you two,” Neji reminded.

The girl could not argue against that still both of them knew her treatment would be different if she had committed the same acts. They knew the man would have been easier on her without a doubt, but this goes unmentioned. She only nodded in admittance.

“I can make breakfast,” she offered with a faint smile.

. . .

The three sat around the dining room table. Neji sat upright and expressionlessly. Hinata sat with a sweet smile in an attempt to ease the air of the room. Sasuke on the other hand sat seemingly buried in his own hoodie. A single leg was drawn up to his chest on his seat while the other stuck to the floor. Though it seemed as though he were looking to the table, his mind was elsewhere and so was Neji’s. Both males were thinking of the same man, but from different perspectives. Sasuke remembered a family member while Neji remembered a traumatizing scene that kept him from sleep. Hinata looked to the Uchiha whose eyes were puffy and red from suffering the loss so suddenly only yesterday. It was silent. The only noise was a bus passing through their subdivision in the distance. The girl then sat up and passed the whipped cream to Neji who came back to the present moment at the sight of the can drifting towards him. He caught sight of the girl’s smile and thanked her silently. He then offered the can to Sasuke who had yet to touch his stack of pancakes. The Uchiha looked to the can and stared for some moments before the doorbell rang.

“I will get it,” Neji said before standing. He walked through the hall and towards the front door. He unlocked the door and opened it to find Fugaku standing tall. Neji looked up to meet the stern man’s eyes.

“Is my son here?”

“No, sir,” he lied.

“Thank you. Sorry to disturb you,” he said in a deep voice before leaving Neji to continue about his day. The Hyuga then shut and locked the door before returning to the dining room only to find that Sasuke had left.

“Where is he?” He asked.

“The restroom,” Hinata answered.

Neji nodded and looked to his unfinished plate of pancakes before placing them in the fridge. “Thank you for breakfast.”

Hinata smiled down at her own unfinished plate with a nod. None of them were too hungry to begin with.

. . .

Neji worked at Hinata’s desk as the girl worked in the comfort of her bed. They held a silence for hours as the two studied and completed assignments from home.

“Should we check on him?” Hinata asked.

Another ring of the doorbell sounded. Neji stood and left the room followed by the girl who was just as curious. The two watched over the railing as Sasuke made for the door. The two higher up watched in confusion as the boy answered it, pulling someone in. It was Itachi Uchiha, his elder brother. Neji supposed it was sensical, so he dismissed it. The two walked into a restroom on the lower floor to discuss things he supposed. It was in fact a family matter. Neji then turned back to enter the girl’s room and continue his work for the day.

. . .

Neji leaned back against the kitchen counter as he blew over a cup of warm tea when his phone vibrated against the granite.

_‘Sasuke?’ Ino._

_‘Has anyone seen him?’ Sakura._

_‘His mom came to my house a few minutes ago,’ Naruto._

_‘Yeah, his dad came to mine,’ Kiba._

_‘Neji?’ Ino._

Neji looked to the conversation, unwilling to do so much as think of a response. He found the questioning inappropriate, so he only locked his screen and lowered the phone to the counter before continuing to blow on the piping hot liquid.

. . .

Neji looked to the time, realizing that Hanabi had practice that day and would be home later than on regular school days. He washed dishes and wiped down the kitchen’s surfaces as mumbles drifted in from the living room where Sasuke leaned against his elder brother. Neji gave the two no mind and allowed them as much privacy as he could as he did his chores. He reached into the pantry and retrieved the broom and detached the dustpan to begin sweeping when the mumbles became more coherent.

“They do care,” Itachi said.

“No,” Sasuke denied.

“They do, that is why they let him carry on with everything he wished to do,” the elder responded.

“They pushed him away so they wouldn’t have to deal with his problems,” the younger argued.

Neji tried to sweep a bit louder and rearrange items to drown the discussion out, but the two only grew louder.

“That is not true,” Itachi stated calmly.

“Why didn’t they help him?” Sasuke asked.

“They tried, but they didn’t know what to do, Sasuke.”

“They should’ve gotten Shisui help.”

“They gave him the money he needed if he wanted help, and he did not use it accordingly.”

“They talked about him while you were away. They said they were glad he was out of the house because they believed his ‘pessimistic attitude was rubbing off on’ me. They were not worried about him; they were worried about me. They didn’t care about Shisui; they wanted him gone. That’s why they didn’t get him help directly. They threw him out, gave him money and expected him to make it work when something was wrong,” Sasuke continued to press on. It was the most emotional Neji had ever heard the boy and the longest he had heard him speak, “Itachi there was something wrong. He was hiding something.”

“He was severely depressed, Sasuke. You cannot understand someone like him unless you were like him,” Itachi defended.

Neji began to rush the sweep.

“Why were his eyes removed from his sockets?” His voice finally broke under Sasuke being distraught.

“I don’t know, Sasuke.”

“He gave every warning, every sign that something was wrong. He was in trouble and he’s been in trouble for years, I could tell by the look on his face during family reunions and visits. He was distant, he wouldn’t talk, he wouldn’t sleep, he wouldn’t eat.”

“Sasuke,” Itachi breathed out.

“And Mom and Dad didn’t lift a finger, they pushed him out of the house, why?”

“Sasuke.”

“Why?!” He shouted.

“Let’s go home,” Itachi said. Neji heard the man stand.

“No.”

“Come.”

“No. They don’t care. Neither of them cried a single tear. They looked like they expected it and figured that it was only a matter of time,” his voice trembled with tears. “I got upset and they told me to calm down. They don’t listen and you know that. I am not going back to them.”

“Sasuke.”

“No!”

There was a pause of dialogue. Neji pictured the two standing before one another. He imagined Itachi staring at his hurting younger brother as Sasuke wiped tears from his face. Neji then heard footsteps exiting the living room and heading towards the front of the house where the door opened and closed. Itachi had left the broken boy who had no where to direct his pain and resentment.

Neji stood stiffly in the kitchen, careful not to make a noise. He was sure the two Uchiha had forgotten that anyone else was in the house to begin with. He decided to wait some minutes before heading upstairs because in order to do so, he had to pass through the living room where Sasuke stood, sat or lied vulnerable all over again.

. . .

It was late. Hiashi had called Hinata earlier to inform her that he had taken Hanabi to dinner to give the Uchiha a bit more time before there was a full house moving around him again.

Neji had finished most of his work just from trying to give Sasuke the space he needed. Hinata had fallen asleep in her layered sheets from behind him. He stood from the desk seat and made for the bedroom door when he heard voices.

“You can stay with us for a few days,” it was a woman’s voice but different from the Uchiha’s mother. It was a voice Neji had never heard before.

“Take as much time as you need before going home,” Itachi followed soon after. He had returned to the house at some point unknown to the Hyuga.

“Would you like that?” The woman questioned. It was silent which was very much like Sasuke. Still, Neji was sure he had taken the proposal once he heard the three exiting the house, leaving Neji and Hinata in an empty house until Hiashi returned with Hanabi. Neji looked to Hinata who was still fast asleep. It had darkened a great amount. It was night and Neji had gone through most of the day without looking through his messages having silenced the phone to make sure it didn’t wake Sasuke the night before. He checked for the first time since earlier in the kitchen that morning to find a number of things had been sent to him. The vast majority consisted of discussions from the group chat which he decided to ignore. He scrolled until he reached the Nara’s name.

_‘Is Sasuke okay?’ Shikamaru._

Neji unlocked his phone to respond, _‘He did not speak much. He just left.’_

_‘He was at your house?’ Shikamaru._

_‘Do not tell anyone.’_

_‘Got it. Hizashi came back, but he refuses to go to the people we met in the city,’ Shikamaru._

_‘What is his reasoning?’_

_‘He says they’re worse than their partners,’ Shikamaru._

Neji remembered Hashirama’s welcoming smile and promises of protection. They seemed to be a more promising group due to the family dynamic that their partners seemed to lack. He could not imagine how they could be anywhere near as brutal as the ones who had been ordering them around for weeks. Then again, appearances did go a long way only to be able to be proven as a front within seconds. Neji pondered over it and the more he did the more it worried him.

_‘Worse?’_

_‘He says they make people disappear without a trace, and he doesn’t want to end up like the missing people,’ Shikamaru._

They make people disappear.

_‘He only came back to my place because it started raining,’ Shikamaru._

Neji looked through the window which is when the pitter patter of the droplets finally registered.

_‘I already explained his feelings to the Senju, and they said that they would come get him if he kept running, so I’m just waiting for someone to bust my door down. At least we found one dad.’ Shikamaru._

_‘Your father can’t be far.’_

_‘You’d be amazed at how the guy travels,’ Shikamaru._

Just then, a new text came in. Neji saw how it began with a long number which is what normally turned his stomach upside down. He then reminded himself that whatever it was that the men had for him would be handled by Hashirama and his counterparts. It was only a matter of forwarding the message to them.

_‘Burn the college,’ Unknown._

Neji’s breath halted as he wondered if Hashirama and the others would be willing to carry out such a task in his place. It was a request that would end Neji’s run if he had to carry it out himself. He would go to the police and hope that the strange men had been lying when they said they had moles throughout the entire department. Neji screen shot the text and sent it to his newer phone before sending it to the number that was already programmed into the new phone. The response was almost immediate.

_‘We’ll look into it,’ Senju._


	34. Chapter 34

Shikamaru and Neji walked through what felt like a valley of trees. There was nothing but a clearing of grass ahead of them for miles and miles with layers and layers of green trees on either side of them. It was a bit cloudy that day which put a grey hue of an overcast across the land, robbing everything of its typical color. Neji stayed to the left of the tracks while the Nara walked along the right.

“What made him allow it?” Shikamaru asked finally.

“He could no longer take my lies. He knew I was sneaking something and keeping secrets and assumed they all revolved around you. He is not used to me acting this way, so he didn’t know how to treat it.”

“So, he let you do whatever you wanted as long as you started making sense again,” Shikamaru smiled to the grass as they walked.

“I suppose.”

“How’s everything after last week?” It had been a week since Shisui, and things had been quiet. The image, though still in their minds, was not as sharp or sudden but still detailed in every aspect from the injuries to the loud bang against the bus roof.

“Fine. You?” Neji responded.

Shikamaru tilted his head. Neji understood. The Nara’s father never returned home, and Hizashi never left.

“You can kick him out. You do know this, right?” Neji asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” the younger sighed, “Just don’t really want to.”

Neji couldn’t think of why he would want to keep the stranger in his home, “Why not?”

“He’s like a kicked puppy. I wish you could just come over and see for yourself. He’s not that bad. Besides, the company is appreciated.”

Neji supposed it filled much of the silence in the Nara’s home that persisted throughout the day. Still, he looked away unsure of how to react to the man who called himself his father. The Nara looked up as soon as Neji turned away.

“I know it’s kinda awkward, but he is a cool guy,” the Nara promised.

Neji’s face was unreadable. It seemed conflicted as though he wanted to be fully against the idea, but curiosity peeked out from behind it.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Not my place,” Shikamaru slipped his hands into his pockets and continued to mosey silently.

“I…” Neji paused. His feet stopped as he stared to the steel tracks between them before he looked the boy in the eyes, “I would like to.”

. . .

The very next day, all three of them watched each other. Shikamaru leaned against the television stand, Neji stood in the corner of the living room, and Hizashi sat criss cross on the coffee table. Darui and his family were out on the Friday afternoon but allowed the boy to make himself at home while they were away as long as everything was the way they left it once they returned. Only, Neji was sure Shikamaru had left out the detail of him bringing two others along with him, strangers to the family at that.

All three males stared to one another awkwardly. Shikamaru waited for the two to pick up conversation, but after staring between the two for a while, he realized that they were half expecting him to guide it all. The Nara pursed his lips before he began to scroll through his phone, urging them to act as though he weren’t there. Once he realized that not even that would work, he leaned away from the stand and began to leave the two alone to discuss whatever it was they needed to work out before he was stopped.

“Shikamaru,” the two called simultaneously. Neji and Hizashi both caught each other’s eyes before looking back to the boy.

The Nara paused at the sudden harmony and slowly spun on his heel to face the two who seemed so helpless before one another, “Yeah?”

“Stay,” the two said in sync, catching each other’s glances a second time.

Shikamaru nodded and dropped himself onto the leather couch.

Hizashi began to sway side to side as if something were playing but it was only silence.

“How did you begin this?” Neji asked.

“Begin what?” Hizashi questioned honestly.

“Your lifestyle,” the Hyuga worded nicely.

“The life of a criminal?” Hizashi chuckled, “Well, Hiashi was the favorite. I was the fuck up. I just wasn’t right in our father’s eyes, so guess what happened?”

“You joined a gang,” Neji deadpanned as he crossed his arms.

“Gods, no,” Hizashi shook his head, “See, things don’t quite get through to me. I’ve always been slower than my brother, absent minded, um,” he seemed to pause to find the right words, “I embarrassed our father to a point of him leaving me alone a lot. I could tell Hiashi felt bad for me, but there was nothing he could do. Dad scolded him if he ever showed remorse towards me which I get,” Hizashi continued to sway side to side. Neji watched as the man’s long hair followed along with him and compared it to his own. “But it’s okay, I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“Your hair,” Neji thought aloud.

“Hm? Oh yeah, it’s a mess, I know. You don’t have to tell me. I can’t remember the last time I put a comb through it. It’s a bird’s nest,” he joked, “Yours is nice. I’m surprised Hiashi let you keep it that long.”

“Really?” Neji questioned in surprise.

“Yeah, he usually sucked up Dad’s opinions and made them his own. The Hiashi I knew would’ve made you chop that off a long time ago. He always seemed so stern and traditional through letters,” Hizashi explained.

Neji frowned at the thought. He wondered if Hiashi had changed for his son.

“Me, me, me,” Hizashi laughed, “What about you? What’s going on with Neji?” He spoke in the third person.

“I am fine.”

“Well, sure you are! I want to know about you – you know – friends, school, sports, jobs, do you drive?” The man listed.

“Yes, I drive. I do not own a car. We talked about getting one for me so I would not use his constantly, but after recently, I doubt he has the same desire to make such a purchase for me,” the Hyuga said.

“Oh, well that’s okay. When I’m rich, I’ll get you whatever car you want!” Hizashi smiled.

Neji eyed him unsure of when the man was serious and when he was only cracking a joke. He was very child-like and though slimmer than Hiashi, he oddly seemed more youthful. He had fewer age marks but had a few more grey hairs than the stricter man. Neji assumed the streaks were a result of his draining lifestyle.

“How about friends?” Hizashi asked, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

Neji was unaware of what was going on with Sakura. He was still a bit put off by Ino’s lack of assistance at the party and angered by the memory of the last encounter he held with Kiba. Naruto’s drug use was discomforting and Sasuke’s recent loss had put the boy at an even greater distance, “They are fine,” he answered.

“What are they like?” The man pressed further with a smile.

Neji thought about the group before looking to Shikamaru who continued to stare to his phone screen. The Hyuga looked to an autographed baseball that sat on a bookshelf against the wall. It reminded him of TenTen and her currently situation with her mother, They,” he continued to think until he remembered Lee who he barely knew about these days. Shikamaru looked to Neji. The Hyuga returned the stare, “Well, Shikamaru is nice to have around.”

“Ah, you two are close?” Hizashi asked, rotating his seated position to look to the Nara.

Shikamaru looked from the man to Neji who bit the inside of his lip, “Yes,” Neji answered almost questioning what counted as close and if the younger felt the same way. Fortunately, Shikamaru nodded in agreement before lying down against the worn-in sofa.

“That’s good that you have each other. Must’ve been the crime that brought you guys together. I guess there are plus sides to this mess,” he smiled.

Both boys knew that they had met long before they were joined by a constant gun to their heads.

“I suppose,” Neji spoke.

“Mh,” the Nara shrugged.

It was silent again. Neji looked to his feet as Hizashi fiddled with the split ends of his hair. Shikamaru shut his eyes to indulge in the room’s peace and quiet on the warm afternoon.

“You’ve been standing for a while, sit, sit,” Hizashi pat the area on the coffee table right next to him.

Neji raised a brow before moving towards the man. He then reluctantly eased his way to the wooden surface, looking everywhere but the man who was now so close and obviously jittery at Neji’s presence.

“Wow,” Hizashi breathed.

“What is it?” Neji questioned, ultimately deciding to shut his eyes.

“You’re almost as tall as me.”

That couldn’t be true. Neji was still shorter than Hiashi by a head’s length. Then again as he sat side by side with Hizashi, the man had been right.

“Stand,” he ordered, waiting for Neji to follow.

The Hyuga stood and faced the man who turned his back to the boy.

“Come on, back to back. Shikamaru tell us who’s taller,” Hizashi seemed to have fun with anything no matter what it was.

“M’kay,” the Nara said, opening one eye.

Neji put his back to the man and waited for Shikamaru to announce the answer.

“Hizashi beat you by two inches,” Shikamaru said before shutting his eye.

That was stranger to the Hyuga, “How?” He asked, “If you are identical twins, then…”

“Oh, your environment plays a role in our growth just like your genes. At least, that’s what a friend told me. Seems like you were brought up nicely,” Hizashi commented joyfully, studying the boy’s height.

“I see.” The explanation made Neji wonder just how differently he and his brother had been treated growing up.

“Now! Any stories?” Hizashi asked, dropping himself right back onto the table.

“No.”

“No funny or scary stories? How’s Hinata and her mother?”

“Our mother died in an accident years ago.” Neji answered plainly, “But Hinata and Hanabi are better.”

Hizashi grew distant at the news. He had truly been cut off and left no communication if this was news to him, “Oh. I’m so sorry,” his smile was broken before he blinked the shock away with a shake of his head, “Hanabi?”

“Our sister.”

“Sister?” Hizashi furrowed his brows as he thought, “Stepsister?”

“Younger sister related by blood. She is the youngest.”

“Hiashi had another?”

Neji nodded.

“Well,” the man stared off in shock before slouching as though something heavy weighed down on him before smiling through even that, “When you were small, I gave you a toy. It was like an action figure for toddlers, but you treated it with care. You kept it safe and pretended to feed it. I don’t know where you learned it since I’ve never been the most nurturing and your mother was always gone. She got scared of the idea of being around us since you were born with a target on your back, but she could disappear. She had little to no involvement.” His smile widened as he watched the floor, “Do you remember the show you used to like? I’d always fall asleep on the couch and wake up in the middle of the night to you sitting on my stomach,” he began to motion the action. He pretending to hoist a child up and settle it onto his abdomen, “Your eyes would be glued to the screen and the same song always played. It was something with monster trucks and the theme song was really catchy,” Hizashi hummed it enthusiastically with distant eyes as though he were watching it right then and there.

Neji watched him unsure of how to feel once he realized that he was the reason behind his recognizing the song and images on the screen of the Nara’s kitchen television all those nights ago. He knew something about it was nostalgic. The song had stayed after all of these years.

“I remember,” Neji said quietly.

Hizashi paused at that. He hadn’t expected it, not even in the slightest, “You do?” He asked in disbelief.

Neji nodded. Hizashi had to be his father. There was no other explanation for everything the man had said and mirrored and matched. It was all too much for it to be a coincidence or a lie. Neji folded his arms feeling untrusting of everything he had lived or been told. He knew nothing of his true background. Hizashi noticed the change of expression and recognized that it was not one that joined him in reminiscing. “I’m sorry, Neji,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Neji thought they made it past this part, but he began to relive it. His feelings towards the information had not changed or died down. It had to be the result of him pushing them down and quieting them with lies and excuses as to why Hizashi could not possibly be his biological father.

“Do you want to see your mother?” Hizashi perked up.


	35. Chapter 35

Neji inhaled deeply before releasing it all silently as Hizashi dug through his coat pockets.

“Here,” Hizashi offered an old photo of a woman. She was beautiful. She was the missing puzzle piece in it all. Neji could never find too much of a resemblance between himself and Hiashi and surely not the man’s wife. Now that he was looking to the woman who was supposedly his true mother, there was no use in denying anything any longer. Neji’s eyes were the color of Hizashi’s but the shape of the woman in the photo. Even his physique matched the woman’s more than that of either Hizashi or Hiashi.

“My mother?” Neji nearly whispered.

“Beautiful, isn’t she? You look just like her,” Hizashi complimented unaware of how much the comment threw Neji’s mind into disarray.

“My mother.” Neji repeated.

Shikamaru looked up from his phone once he picked up on the Hyuga’s odd tone.

“I know she wants to see you again. Once I sort everything out here, we can find her,” Hizashi smiled.

“Find her?”

“Yeah, like I planned years ago.”

“Years ago?”

“That’s right. I’ve been trying to save up and finish work, and…”

“Save up?” Neji was a bit louder then. Still, Hizashi did not seem to pick up on it and maintained his optimistic outlook.

“Then, we can travel together as a family.”

“Save up,” the Hyuga repeated.

“Yeah, are you hearing me? You’re repeating things a lot, maybe you’re kinda slow like me,” Hizashi joked at the wrong time.

“You say that you are saving up, but you do can not afford a hotel room let alone a car,” Neji began calmly having lost all hope in the man, “You planned this years ago after the woman ran from you.”

Hizashi’s smile weakened but stayed, “No, she ran from the gangs and the criminals and…”

“You. She ran from you. That is your life, and you are what you brought to her. You are a criminal. Can you not see that? She ran from you shortly after I was born. Gods know where she is now. Do you know?”

Hizashi did not respond right away, “No, but I…”

“You do not know where she is. In order to cut herself clean from you, she would have had to clear every contact she had with you. She cut ties with everything you allowed to break us apart in the first place.”

Hizashi’s smile had yet to disappear completely. Now, he looked around the room looking for something to add, his eyes now displaying worry.

“You do not even know how to find her. You have no way of finding her, and if you did, you would bring your mess of a life right back to her. She flew to another part of this world because of you and you wish to track her down? She left after giving me up to rid herself of a second target and ensure that I was in better hands; do you truly think that she cares anything about seeing me? By now, she could have another family in a happier home, pushing the both of us to the back of her mind as much as she can,” Neji continued.

Hizashi shook his head, “That’s not true. She loved you.”

“I cannot imagine wanting to bring a child into the middle of what we are going through now. Was I even a concept before she suddenly fell ill one morning or woke up with back pain or began to take more trips to the bathroom?”

“Neji we loved you,” Hizashi assured in between.

“She could be dead,” Neji said lowly. That got Hizashi to stop all efforts. His smile disappeared as his eyes glossed over. The words seemed to have sent the man away to another plane of consciousness. Neji was fed up with the man’s lack of proactive thinking. It was the same lack of thinking that put Neji in his currently impossible position when all he should be worried about were grades and community service. Now, he was lying to Hiashi’s face day in and day out finding ways to break the law before curfew.

“She’s not,” Hizashi smiled again. “She’s not,” he shook his head keeping his stare to the boy, “and she loves you, Neji.”

The Hyuga stared to the man in disbelief. Hizashi had been truthful when he said things came to him slowly. It was like speaking to a brick wall only the wall seemed to exert an unchanging view or opinion regardless of how many times you broke it down. Neji narrowed his eyes and glared to the man who had the audacity to keep up such false hope in the middle of nothingness. He had nothing going for him. Nothing was going according to his impossible plan. He was pathetic. Neji scoffed before exiting the room angrier than he had been for as long as he could remember throughout his lie of a lifetime.

. . .

Neji exited his kitchen and entered the living room where the news had been left on while Hiashi stepped out. Hanabi watched it, forgetting about the homework sheet that lie on her lap. Neji saw a fire raging on that blazed across the cameras of helicopters. It was the library building of the very campus he had just visited just last week. They had really done it. Neji ignored the reporter’s voice due to already knowing the details that not even the news anchor knew himself. He simply described what raged on from down below without being able to offer an explanation to its cause. Neji held his head as he continued up the steps.

He shut his bedroom door behind himself and tried to settle down. The fire was not tied to him. There was no way of him being convicted for what was displayed on the screen downstairs. He looked around his room aimlessly before he heard an unfamiliar ringtone. He followed it to his bed. It came from underneath his mattress where he had been hiding his new phone to be sure there was no chance of Hiashi locating the device when his back was turned. He felt between the mattress and box spring until his fingers brushed past the cellular.

“Hello?”

“We told you we would look into it,” it was Tsunade.

“I did not start the fire.”

“Well, we didn’t. Are you telling me they went through with their own order?” Her tone was harsh.

Neji eased himself to the bed and eyed his door before lowering his voice, “Your partners did this?”

“If it wasn’t you and it wasn’t us, there is no doubt in my mind that it was them. It’s an insult. My grandfather donated a large amount of money to that university. So much so, that they built the library and named it after him. It just to happened to be the only building that’s caught flame which is just another hunch I’m going off of.”

Neji thought back to his visit. He remembered there being a statue, but he did not read the podium for its background, but thinking back, the statue was now familiar. It was Hashirama, and the words carved before it had to be his story behind his generous donation. The fire had been planned. It was nothing like how partners in business should treat one another and he felt they were on the brink of sparking a war of which he was more than sure he would be involved in.

“Where is your father?” Tsunade questioned.

“He is with Shikamaru,” Neji informed before he gulped silently.

“Where is Shikaku?”

Neji assumed that was the Nara’s father.

“We do not know.”

“Damn it,” she cursed quietly, “I’m tired of this goose chase.”

Neji looked through his window to find buckets of rain pouring past a streetlight which was the only thing enabling him to see the downpour apart from hearing it beat against the glass.

“Neji, make up a reason to leave your house for a couple of days.”

“I’m sorry?” Neji’s eyes rounded.

“Look, we have a feeling things are about to tip over. We need to hide you and Shikamaru until things cool down. You’re probably wondering why you’re the only one in your family that has to deal with all this. Hiashi cut ties with Hizashi when things were just getting started and he made the right choice. He just so happened to be moving away with his wife when Hizashi fell into this loophole. Years later, he located Hiashi and gave you to him after things really picked up. The thing is, our partners don’t know these details. They assumed you were still in touch with your biological father and decided to use you as bait for Hizashi who up and ran from his role. They haven’t heard anything about Hiashi; he was gone before they truly got to know your actual father. They might even mistake Hiashi for your father at this rate. I just want to put distance between you and your family all while taking you off their radar. Their dealers are on the run and they’re pissed, so they might start kicking up rocks in your direction.”

“Then why did they come here if they thought I was still with Hizashi?” Neji questioned.

“We assume that they followed Hizashi out here. As to why your father traveled here after so many years, we still don’t know, but it’s dangerous. I don’t know how they found you,” Tsunade admitted.

Neji thought back to the night at the gas station. One of the men had seemed as though he recognized Neji for a split second before the threats began to fly. One of them could have reported his appearance and followed him home that night. The men then held him hostage in his own living room shortly after because Hizashi had failed to follow through with their orders. It was all Hizashi’s fault. From the very beginning, it had been his fault.

“Neji, promise me you’ll find a reason to get away.”

“I will,” Neji said without being entirely sure of his ability to simply excuse himself for days on end.

“Good, one of us will pick you up tomorrow,” the woman said before ending the call.

. . .

Neji looked to Hiashi through the wind shield one last time before the car backed out of the driveway. He had told the man that his friends were going on a camping trip and he was allowed to attend which was rather surprising given that he hadn’t let the man know ahead of time. Luckily, Hiashi had never met Ino’s father, so Dan was able to pick the Hyuga up without suspicion. Neji had already messaged the group asking them to keep up the lie for him. Of course, they all agreed, all except Sasuke who still refrained from communicating and Kiba who Neji had been cold towards as of late. With the agreement came questions to which Neji had yet to come up with an answer for.

“Your uncle tracks your phone, right?” Dan questioned.

Neji stared to his lap with a silent nod.

“Good. We are actually going into the woods. You’ll have to deal with being off the grid for a bit, but our partners would never look in the area. It’s completely safe,” he assured as he drove. “I know you used the camping bag as a prop, but if you really packed everything you needed in there, you shouldn’t have to worry during the time you’re there, but I can’t guarantee you’ll be back Sunday.”

Neji was eyeing the large bag that sat upright in the back seat when he processed what the man had slipped towards the end, “What?” He asked, looking to the man.

“We rather be safe than sorry. We need you alive.”

“Need me?” The wording was strange.

Dan grimaced at his own choice of words before sighing, “Look, I don’t want anything to happen to you, but you and Shikamaru are your fathers’ motivations to work with us.”

Neji shifted to face the man in his seat, “Are you kidnapping us?”

“No, no,” Dan shook his head, “We are only keeping you safe, so they have a reason to come back to us.”

“You are going to hold us captive in the woods,” Neji thought aloud.

“No, Neji. We are only keeping you safe. Hashirama told us to try and sort things out with our partners before the end of Sunday to make sure you two can go about your lives normally next week. That is all, I promise you.”

Neji slowly but surely settled down in his seat realizing just how tense he had gotten in such a short amount of time. His flight response calmed as he thought it through. He looked through the window as they drove through the backroads as opposed to the highway. He watched as the town he recognized became less and less and began to be replaced by vegetation.

. . .

Neji and Shikamaru sat on the small shack’s wooden flooring on either side of a single candle which was the only thing that lit the small room. The shack appeared to have been abandoned upon their arrival. Pots and pans were scattered with a furnace against the wall which served as the main heat source during winter. Luckily, it was a summer night; there was no need for the excess warmth, so the two used a single candle, trying to avoid giving away their position. The Nara took a match from its box and lit it with the fire from the candle before lighting a number of other candles. He then placed them around the single room of the shack to give them a bit more light. It gave better sight of their surroundings and was dull enough to keep their location a secret unless one were to peer through the single window. Even then, the chances were slim in the expansive land of trees.

“How long do you think we will be here?” Neji asked.

Shikamaru shrugged as he lit the final candle.

“Anything from your father?”

“Nope,” the Nara answered as he dropped his heavy bag to the ground with a creak. He then lowered himself before Neji and continued to watch the flame dance around in the glass.

“We should sleep,” Neji said.

Shikamaru nodded. It had been a long trip by car then by foot. Neji turned to settle himself when he caught sight of the guns that Dan had left with them. They were pistols. The man taught them how to use them before leaving them for the night. Neji hadn’t paid close enough attention and had forgotten how to unlock the firearm let alone how to hold it properly. He sighed silently and hopelessly. His mind was too rattled by their situation and setting to have picked up on the instructions, so all he could do now was hope there wouldn’t come a time for him to use it.

“Night,” Shikamaru said.

Thunder sounded overhead and Neji caught sight of a gap in the corner of the roof where a bucket lied underneath. Now the pattern of the scattered pots and pans made sense.

“Goodnight,” he returned.


	36. Chapter 36

Neji opened his eyes as the world around him cleared. White light poured in through the single, dirtied window. The sky was a light shade of grey which signaled yet another downpour for later. He sat his head up and surveyed the room groggily. He noticed how the pans were filled to the brim with water. Each time he inhaled, he caught a whiff of wet wood and dirt that were dampened by last night’s storm. Finally, he looked to the Nara who still lied unconscious against the floor using his travel bag as a pillow. He watched the boy’s chest rise and fall. He seemed most in his element when he was fast asleep oddly enough. A noise outside alerted the Hyuga whose head shot towards the door. He ducked back down to the floor and tried to whisper to the Nara who did not do so much as stir. Neji slowly rose, keeping his eyes to the door before inching towards the gun that sat on a wooden table near a wash bin. He held it with two hands. His grip was awkward and clumsy due to his lack of confidence. Still, he kept it aimed to the door, hands shaking just slightly.

“Neji?”

The Hyuga’s eyes flickered to the Nara who stared at him in shock. It was the first thing he saw upon waking, so he had no clue as to what had driven the Hyuga to that point.

“What…” the Nara began before he too heard something just outside. The two stilled as Neji placed his finger over the trigger. Shikamaru looked to him and scrambled to a stand, immediately taking the gun from the Hyuga who very obviously did not know what he was doing. Shikamaru stood in front of Neji who stood closely behind him. He aimed the gun where Neji had been seconds before his wake. The sounds became recognizable as human footsteps. He unlocked the weapon as the door opened. “Get back!” Shikamaru yelled. The person fell back along with a heavy thud. Shikamaru kept his eyes to the door before working his way towards the center of the opening to find a man who had fallen right next to a heavy bag.

“It’s just me!” Dan shouted as he shielded himself with his hands. His pants and boots were muddied by the wet soil which told of his travels up the mountain.

Shikamaru lowered the gun with a sigh of relief, “Say it next time.”

“I just wanted to give you food for the day,” the man explained. He lifted the bag by one of its straps as he eased himself to his feet. He tried to catch his breath as he entered the shack. He looked to the containers of water and the dampened wood. He then looked through the bright window, “We’re trying to get you two out of here as quickly as possible,” he explained as he unloaded canned, boxed, and wrapped foods from the cargo bag he carried with him, “I’m sorry you had to spend the night here.” He then opened the largest compartment of the bag and pulled out a small, white, battery powered electrical heater, “This is for the rainy night tonight. The weather doesn’t seem to be letting up.” He looked to the gun in the Nara’s hand nervously. Shikamaru had forgotten about it and lowered it to the surface before Dan let out a sigh of relief.

“When’s the soonest we can get back?” The boy asked.

Dan offered a kind smile before attending to the heater.

“Dan.”

“I don’t know, I’m sorry, but maybe we can find a better location for you two? I’m sorry,” he apologized twice as he unscrewed the back side of the device.

Shikamaru and Neji exchanged glances, “Do you think this could go on for more than three days?” The Hyuga asked.

Dan shook his head cluelessly as he removed the old batteries to replace them, “We need your fathers.”

“He was at my house,” Shikamaru stepped up.

“Not when we got there,” Dan informed. He slammed his hand against the heater that failed to start before sighing.

Hizashi ran off. Neji couldn’t help but feel irritated by the news.

“We’ll find him,” Dan smiled. “Leave it to us. All you two have to do is stay out of trouble which is another thing you can leave to us.”

“Dan,” Neji stepped forward.

The man seemed to dread the question, yet he stood and faced the male with a smile.

“What is going on?” The Hyuga asked upfront.

The man did not answer right away, but he knew he might as well be honest in a situation like this, “A war,” he sighed stressfully. His smile dulled as he stared through the window that nearly burned his eyes.

“My family?” Neji asked.

“Fine. They are fine. We are watching them right now to keep our partners at bay. Your family has yet to notice us, Neji.”

The Hyuga was doubtful, keeping his arms folded tightly. He kept his attention to the only person who could give them insight to the outside world. Dan waited for more questions, but neither boy spoke. After some moments, their eyes had drifted though they remained in their positions. Dan took the opportunity to take for the door. Shikamaru stepped to the side to allow him through. Dan paused in the doorway and looked back to the Hyuga.

“We’ll keep them safe,” he promised.

. . .

“Can you still see the shack?” Shikamaru called from ahead of Neji who glanced back through the trees.

“Yes,” he called back. He stepped down a number of stones as he followed the Nara in the distance. Hours had passed and lying around napping had been worn out. They decided to walk around for the sake of getting fresh air after the Nara decided their protectors’ partners could not possibly be anywhere near them in the thick woods, greened by the excessive rainfall over the previous night. It took tens of minutes for the Hyuga to consider wandering from the shack, but he figured it was a sensical point. By then, both of their phones were far from the grid and as good as useless. Still, Neji made a note to ask Dan for a portable charger next time he made a food run. The Hyuga looked up from his own feet and caught sight of Shikamaru who was much nearer than before; the boy waited for Neji to catch up.

“You okay?” Shikamaru asked, looking to Neji who kept his arms wrapped around himself.

“I am fine.”

“Cold?”

“I am fine.”

Shikamaru took the Hyuga’s word for it and continued along the path. Neji was hesitant to follow and looked back for the shack which took a bit longer to locate through the length of tree trunks.

“We should not go too far,” Neji said.

“You wanna turn back?”

Neji considered this as he stared to the wooden structure before walking past the Nara to continue along their aimless path.

. . .

The two stood over a dead, decaying rabbit that seemed to have been spared by scavengers. It seemed to have died on its own rather than killed by a predator. Neji frowned down at it while the Nara watched it in interest. He then crouched down near the carcass. The Hyuga watched in confusion as Shikamaru began to cover it with dirt. The younger scooped up handfuls of the soil and poured it over the rabbit as a way of burial. Neji looked around as the boy did it. He waited patiently before looking back to find the deed had been done. Shikamaru dusted his hands off and stood, keeping his eyes to the dirt pile. He then carried on through the woods as if he had never stopped. Neji found the action odd yet considerate in some aspect.

. . .

“Nara.”

“I said no, Neji,” he called calmy from over his shoulder from where he sat on the side of the lake. He continued stacking smooth pebbles one by one after refusing to step foot in the freezing water. Neji on the other hand could not stand grime. Still, the Hyuga took it as his final answer as he continued to cleanse himself in the icy waters of the mountain. Suddenly, he heard a curse come from the lakeside. He looked to Shikamaru who sat stiff and stared into the shrubbery. Neji followed his eyes and spotted a rather large black bear wandering towards them. Neji stepped back towards the other side of the body of water as the bear approached the Nara who still had yet to move. Shikamaru allowed it to sniff him all over and nibble at his bag. He eased his arms out of the straps to give the bear easier access to the luggage seeing that the animal was more interested in it than himself. The bear dragged the bag a short distance away before sitting. Shikamaru slowly placed his hands against the pebble bed and tried to stand when the bear’s head swiveled towards the boy who froze all over again. He sat back down which calmed the large animal. It continued to rummage through the bag and eventually ripped it to shreds. Neji couldn’t do a thing other than watch because each time he moved; the bear would shoot its black eyes towards him. The two were trapped with no way out until the being lost interest. Neither of them knew how long that would take.

. . .

The two sat before the same candle as last night all over again only Neji wore a blanket this time even though it was summer. The high altitude and overcast did little to warm him all day. The bear had taken hours to leave the two at peace which allowed the Hyuga plenty of time to freeze over in the lake. He sniffled as the night sky sounded off in dull rumbles, signaling the oncoming storm. Shikamaru watched the Hyuga cling tightly to the blanket before standing. Neji watched the boy move through the shack; he seemed to be looking for something.

“Shikamaru?”

“I’ll be back,” the Nara said before grabbing a flashlight and exiting through the door leaving Neji alone and clueless.

Neji looked back to the small flame and wished for it to be larger. The portable heater failed to ever start, so all they really had were candles. His body seized up before he released a sneeze into the crook of his arm. He looked over his shoulder to the stack of food on the table. He then stood and walked towards it and tried to move to the side enough for candlelight to illuminate the items. His eyes caught saltine crackers which he settled on before returning to his seat. He opened the box and removed a sleeve of the crackers before he slid one between his cold lips. Another round of thunder rumbled but louder the second time around. The door then opened and caught his full attention.

In walked Shikamaru holding a single chopped log of wood for a fire. The Nara tossed it into the furnace before looking for his matches. Fortunately, the bear had left a few things in one piece. He found the box lying on the floor and picked a single match from the bunch before lighting it.

“They had a pile of firewood out back,” the Nara explained before lighting the wood, “It was covered up, so the rain didn’t get to it.”

Neji watched the wood catch fire, answering his wishes. He moved towards it and shut his eyes, “Thank you,” Neji said.

“Yeah, are you good on food?”

Neji looked to the crackers he had abandoned next to the candle, “Yes.”

The Nara looked to the dry snack and nodded. He then walked towards the table to retrieve a bottle of water and sat next to the Hyuga before deciding to lie down fully. “We should’ve been back by now,” he pointed out. It was Sunday and he was sure Hiashi was contacting the Hyuga without end.

Neji knew this. He simply watched the fire grow. He had been thinking it himself as soon as the sun rose that morning. “Shikamaru?”

“Yeah?” The Nara asked, resting his eyes.

“How long do you think it will take them to sort everything out?”

“Until our dads decide they need to get back to work, I guess,” he shrugged.

Thunder rumbled even louder.

“Go to sleep.” It seemed to be Shikamaru’s answer to everything, but there was no use in staying awake just to ask the same questions repeatedly.

“The fire,” Neji said.

“It’s fine, I’ll watch it,” Shikamaru dismissed though his current position on the floor did nothing to convince the Hyuga that what he said was true, “Go to sleep before you catch a fever.”

Neji looked through the window to catch a bolt of lightning that produced a slight glow in the clouds. He then leaned over until he was rested on his side.

“Night,” Shikamaru mumbled.

“Goodnight.”


	37. Chapter 37

Shikamaru sighed as his eyes eased open after their second night on the mountain. He rolled over to find a shivering Neji. The Nara jolted awake, sitting up from the floor in a quick and swift motion.

“Neji?”

The way the Hyuga’s eyes were sealed showed of his incredible discomfort. He was sweating profusely as Shikamaru peeled the blanket away. His eyes shot from different areas on the male’s quivering body then back to his pained face. Neji’s cheeks were a tint of pink as they released shallow breaths. Shikamaru rushed to the male’s bag and searched for a phone, any phone. He found the Hyuga’s personal cellular and the charge was rather low, but he would risk running out of battery before risking anything else.

“I’m gonna go look for a signal, okay? Stay here,” Shikamaru informed before getting the fevered male a bottle of water, “Stay hydrated, I’ll be back, okay?”

Neji let out an unsteady breath through clenched teeth.

“Okay?” Shikamaru asked again, looking for Neji’s eyes.

Neji nodded before rolling to his side and back.

Shikamaru then stood and rushed through the door.

Neji reached towards the bottle. He did not wish to sit up, so he only accidentally knocked the plastic over. He watched rainwater -trickle down the wooden walls before shutting his eyes all over again. No matter how he lied or what he did, he could not find comfort. His temperature continued to fluctuate intensely, dangerously. He had stayed in the lake for far too long. He let out deep breath after deep breath as he prayed to fall back to sleep to be out of the misery. He watched the clouds through the bit of window visible to him. He was so hot, but chills shook his body. He lied limp against the wood, incapable of steadying himself to a stand. He weakly rolled his eyes shut and hoped that Shikamaru wouldn’t be long.

. . .

“I don’t fucking know, how about you find him?” Shikamaru whispered.

Neji woke up to a dark room, lying in a stranger’s sheets. He furrowed his brows and rose his head to look around. The furniture was rather modern, the room spacious. The walls were tall just like the single window that took up the entirety of yet another blank wall facing the outdoors. Blocking his view of the scenery was the Nara who seemed to be arguing through the phone, trying to be quiet for the sake of Neji’s rest.

“I haven’t talked to him in almost three weeks. Last time I did, he called me through a pay phone. Apparently, his phone is broken. I don’t know what he’s doing, Mom,” there was a pause as the woman responded, “Yes, I’m safe just go to bed.” He then ended the call and looked to the Hyuga who watched him uncertain of their whereabouts. “Hey,” he sighed.

Neji sat up fully and waited for an explanation.

Shikamaru raised his phone, “Mom. She was just calling to see if I could pet sit again.”

Neji nodded as his gaze drifted, “Where are we?” He asked, staring to potted bamboo.

“Hashirama had a vacation house and let us use it. His granddaughter’s watching us to make sure we stay here. They took our guns, so I guess they don’t trust us to. Don’t get too comfortable, though; they said this spot was too obvious and we should relocate soon. We’re staying tonight for sure, but after that,” he shook his head in uncertainty.

The Hyuga slowly lied back down as everything weighed down against him, “How far are we from home?”

Shikamaru tossed his phone onto the bed, “I don’t know. All I know is that we’re even further now.”

The trip to the mountain alone had taken hours, there was no telling how far they were now. They would not be home any time soon for sure.

Neji sighed as he placed an arm over his eyes.

“Feeling better?” Shikamaru asked to change the focus.

As far as physical health, “Yes.”

The Nara sat on the opposite side of the bed, “Well since you woke up in the middle of the night, I guess you won’t be sleeping, so what now?”

The arm that shielded the Hyuga’s eyes slipped to the sheets. He stared to the high ceiling at a loss of what to say, do, or go from there. “Are you not tired?” He asked.

“I’m fine,” the younger answered as he lied down across the foot of the bed.

The door then opened without a knock to ready the boys for Tsunade’s intrusion, “Pack up so we can leave early tomorrow. You’re going to stay with my niece in law,” she informed before reopening the door, “Ex-niece in law,” she corrected before shutting the door for good.

. . .

“Oh! You’ll love it here. The city has plenty of things to do,” her niece in law said as she invited the boys into her own penthouse. The entire family was wealthy, and it all seemed to stem from Hashirama.

“It’s a shame they won’t be able to enjoy it since they’ll be in hiding, correct, Shizune?” Tsunade hinted to the woman with a stern stare.

Shizune only offered a false smile before continuing through the apartment. She then stopped and looked over her shoulder, “I’ve got it from here, Tsunade,” she smiled. It was her way of telling the woman to leave. It was understandable if the two did not quite get along considering Tsunade and Dan’s divorce. Tsunade picked up on the signal as soon as the woman turned to face her.

“I trust that you will not contact anyone from home,” she said looking to the two teens who had to readjust to their unfamiliar surroundings all over again, “Neji, keep your phone dead. Don’t allow your father to track you. We can’t have him dragging you back into the war zone with the target that the two of you have on your back. There’s no doubt that our partners would have kidnapped and tortured you until Shikaku and Hizashi came crawling back, pleading to distribute their product. As long as they don’t have that leverage, your fathers will continue to run. We will discuss this with them if they ever do allow us near them that is. We need them back on the job if we ever think of putting an end to this disagreement,” she grumbled before leaving the three for the night.

“She’s always been dramatic. Our partners should be nowhere near us. If you want to walk around the city you can,” she said as a small pink pig joined her side. She scooped the small animal up and planted a kiss to its snout, “This is TonTon.”

The boys stared to what would be considered a bizarre pet, “Cute,” Shikamaru commented not knowing how else to fill the silence.

“Well,” Shizune began as she lowered the piglet, “Take care of things around here. I’ve gotta get to the club. I run it, it’s just down the street if you two ever want to check it out. Because you’re my guests, you have free entry,” she winked before tossing a white faux fur coat over her shoulders and rushing out with a pair of black heels in hand.

Neji watched as the door automatically eased shut. Shikamaru simply stared to the pig.

“Soon as I got out of pet sitting Pearl, I get stuck with you,” the Nara complained.

. . .

The two sat in the dark as Shikamaru flipped from channel to channel.

“You hungry?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“Wanna order something?”

Neji looked to the Nara with judgement.

Shikamaru craned his neck back against the sofa, “Ordering a pizza won’t kill us.”

“Maybe she has something in the kitchen,” Neji tried as he stood from his seat. He left and headed towards the kitchen that had warm lights just under the cabinets that illuminated enough of the room just to read food labels. Shortly after, Shikamaru followed the male in and watched Neji as he moved about the room. The Nara leaned against the doorway and rubbed a tired hand down his face. Neji came to a stop and planted his hands against the countertop.

“This has gotten out of hand,” Neji spoke quietly.

“What?” Shikamaru asked.

“We should have gone to the police, Shikamaru. Now, we’re lands away from anyone we can truly trust.”

“Neji, you know this. They are the police. They didn’t help me years ago, why would they help now?”

“They did not help you then where you were. You were home, in town. We are in a city far away from where we were being watched; the police here have to be different,” Neji argued, turning to face the Nara.

“Not if Shizune is here. She’s in the middle of everything, I’m sure they’ve tapped into the police here too.”

“Then what do we do?” Neji asked, eyes devoid of direction. He watched the boy who didn’t even look his way. Neji’s eyes were hard on him only for Shikamaru to continue watching the floor. TonTon trotted in and inspected the floor around the Nara’s feet. “What do we do?” Neji asked more quietly before folding his arms.

“Whatever they tell us.”

“And we have. They tell us they are protecting us from their partners, but they seem to be doing exactly what they say they are protecting us from. I believe they are using us for leverage more so than keeping us out of harm’s way. Do you ever wonder if they are using us to threaten Hizashi and your father?”

“I do.”

“Then, why do we stay?”

“Because,” Shikamaru leaned away from the wall, “We have to choose the lesser of two evils. Our selection is limited. Their partners seem merciless; I’m sure we’re in the best position we could be in right now. If you want to go find police, then you can. Just know that you’re going alone,” Shikamaru said before leaving the elder male to think over his input.

Neji watched as the piglet rounded the center counter and sniffed his feet. It was no different from a dog, it seemed. Shikamaru had a point. Police had proven to be useless when the Nara called them years ago. He remembered the multiple cars that were used to watch him back at home as well. He then thought back to the image of the burning campus that glowed on the living room television. The group seemed to be capable of anything. They seemed to know everything and be everywhere at once. It was quite possible that they could not rely on the law to save them. He looked to the time on the stove. It was one in the morning. He bent over to lift the small pig before rejoining Shikamaru in the living room. He lowered the animal to the ground only for it to follow the Hyuga until he reached the sofa. The Nara ignored him and continued watching the commercials that came and went. Neji then sat next to him and continued watching the same screen as they had minutes ago.

. . .

“If you’re staying here, you’re going to have to do some work for me. Your salary will be living here. I’ll need you to lend a helping hand at the club, but don’t worry; you don’t have to strip, just help wait tables or something. You can clean, stuff like that,” Shizune said over her breakfast the next morning. “Good?”

The two nodded.

“Good,” she swallowed, “Now eat. I’m gonna hop in the shower and run some errands. Can you just clean up around here while I’m gone?”

The two nodded a second time.

“Good!” She applauded before standing and rinsing the plate in the sink. She then rushed from the kitchen and soon after, the boys heard her door come close to a slam shut.

“Well we gotta work to live,” Shikamaru said as he leaned against the center counter.

Neji nodded having left the idea of the police to the back of his mind.

. . .

“I wanted a fucking martini!” A man yelled over the loud club music.

“I’m sorry!” Neji apologized, taking the drink back. He made to leave when he bumped into a dancer who was covered in jewels and glittery make up.

“Hurry up and get used to carrying drinks! It’s all you have to do!” She shouted, annoyed that the Hyuga could not perform the most basic job in the night club. Neji lowered his head apologetically before catching sight of Shikamaru smiling at the accident from the other side of the dancers’ stage. Neji shook his head before continuing about his task. He dumped the drink and put in the order for the martini as the Nara stopped by his side. Their faces were lit up by the bar that had a surface that glowed a bright white. Underneath it were neon purple lights which seemed to be the theme of the place: black and every shade of purple from lilac to indigo.

“How’s it going?” Shikamaru asked with a smirk.

Neji rolled his eyes and looked back to the bar tender who worked on the beverage. He then looked back to the Nara who watched one dancer attentively. The Hyuga eyed the same girl that worked the pole as if she had been there for years and knew nothing else. It was impressive above all else but did not exactly arouse him. He could not say the same for the Nara though.

“Martini,” the bartender said before drifting off to take another order. Neji took the glass and made his way towards the table from before. He fought through a number of club attendees only to find that the booth had been abandoned. It seemed that the man had left impatiently, so Neji stood with the cold drink in hand and looked around to make sure before realizing he was even closer to the stage than before. He looked up to find the dancer that had appealed to the Nara. She was dressed in a shiny, skin-tight black suit that reflected each light with each one of her movements. She was pale as snow with long, silky black hair. She seemed to be rather tall and the heels she wore blended into the suit’s jet black. She moved her hips elegantly and though completely covered up, she seemed to be the star of the show. Neji found himself staring to the swift movements long enough for her to notice. She swayed her hips as she walked to the Hyuga and got down on her knees. The crowd roared as the dancer touched Neji’s chin and lifted his head to look her in the eye. She neared her lips to his own before retreating and reclaiming the pole with her legs. Neji stood still and was unsure if it had happened. He furrowed his brows before he looked around. Shikamaru stared to him more excited than the Hyuga himself. Neji simply deadpanned at the boy’s star struck expression before looking back to the glass that sweated in his hand. He neared it to his lips and caught the scent of alcohol before deciding to head back to the bar to ask the man to empty that glass as well.


	38. Chapter 38

Neji stretched where he sat in the spacious, white bed before looking down to the Nara who had yet to open his eyes. Shikamaru’s breath was slow which told of his current state of deep sleep. The boy’s extremities were sprawled out and tangled in the sheets whilst Neji’s side of the bed was still neat and just about the same as when he had fallen asleep the night before. Neji looked through the window before checking the time on a modern clock that hung against the wall before them. It was late in the afternoon and close to the evening. They had to get back to the club in three hours. Because of the late nights, they always woke up after the morning had concluded. It was a cycle that Neji was not used to himself, but he was sure Shikamaru had no problem adjusting to.

The Hyuga shook the Nara’s shoulder, “Shikamaru.”

“Mh?” He hummed, rolling away from Neji’s touch.

“We have three hours.”

“Right,” the younger responded hoarsely.

Neji frowned in confusion.

“It won’t take me three hours to get ready,” the Nara clarified, “Just wake me up when we have thirty minutes left.”

It would take the two ten minutes just to get from the apartment to the club which was cutting it close in Neji’s opinion. Still, he rose from the mattress and began to get ready. He made his side of the bed before grabbing his waiter attire and entering the bathroom. He warmed the shower water as he brushed his teeth and undressed himself before stepping under the warm stream. He shut his eyes as he began to run a washcloth across his arms. His mind wandered in the heat of the steam and solitude of the glass shower. He wondered how long they would stay here. He wondered when he would see his family again or if he would even be able to speak to them before next week. He thought of his sisters or his cousins? His eyes slowly opened to reveal the water and soap flowing into the square drain beneath his feet. Leaning forward just slightly, the Hyuga placed his head right underneath the flow of the showerhead, allowing the water to run down his face. He thought about school, his friends, his community club. Things were simpler when he thought they were so complex. Hiashi then emerged above everything else. He knew the man must be going ballistic if he wasn’t ill with worry. Neji felt oddly apologetic and regretful. He wondered if it would have ever gotten this far if he had simply gone to Hiashi in the first place. The night he saw Shikamaru behind the gas station surrounded by hostile strangers he could have alerted Hiashi and things might have been taken care of. He could be at home if not completing community service hours. Things could be simpler now. That, or the men could have truly gotten a hold of the police. Things could be simpler, or things could be worse. Neji didn’t know nor would he ever really know. He thought about the Nara and how he seemed so calm in the middle of it all. Shikamaru had repeatedly told him that the men would never touch a hair on their heads yet now they were in hiding of the very men he had spoken of. The men who burned an entire building and forced them into illegal activity behind their parents’ backs. Then again, the Nara didn’t have much waiting for him back home. He had basically been alone for years and never truly worried about leaving much behind. The transition would be easier for the Nara than Neji. That much made sense.

Neji turned the handle until the spray came to a stop. He stepped out and dried himself before wrapping the towel around himself when the bathroom door opened without a single knock. It froze the Hyuga in place as the Nara walked right in disregarding Neji’s privacy. He didn’t even look to the elder male before grabbing his toothbrush, covering it with toothpaste. He ran it under some water before sticking it in his mouth and walking right out. Neji had not moved from his spot. He simply stared to the door grateful that the boy had walked in when he did.

. . .

“All I am saying is that you should have knocked,” Neji argued in the back of a cab.

“We’ve seen each other countless times; I don’t get why you’re this embarrassed,” Shikamaru defended nonchalantly, leaning his head against his fist.

“It was unexpected,” the Hyuga shot back after glancing to the driver.

Shikamaru stared to the city night lights through the taxi window, “Sorry.” It was ingenuine.

Neji narrowed his eyes having recognized this before settling on ending the conversation there.

The taxi rolled to a stop as the Nara removed his wallet from his back pocket.

“Shizune paid already,” the driver informed.

“Oh,” the Nara froze in the middle of removing the necessary bills from the leather, “Okay,” he said, slipping it back into his pocket and opening the car door. He stood outside of the vehicle as he held the door for the other male who exited, still holding their earlier conversation against him. The Nara raised his brows, feigning worry before shutting the door with a straight face.

. . .

“Do you dance?” It had been the third time Neji had been asked that night.

“No,” he answered shortly before taking the customer’s emptied entrée dish and working his way through the crowd. He was trying his hardest just to make it through the loud and crowded shift so he could get back to the apartment and settle. He looked to the time on one of the bar televisions and noticed he was on break. He looked around before settling the dish on the nearest surface and slipping into the break room where the Nara was already taking his own breather.

Neji raised a brow and received a knowing look from Shikamaru. Both males knew that their break had only started a minute ago therefore the Nara had no business already sitting on the sidelines. Still, the boy sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall. He looked to a clock, “We’ve got twenty minutes, time starts now.”

Considering what they had to deal with, twenty minutes felt like far less than what they should be allowed. Neji stepped towards the Nara before sliding down the wall himself. Shikamaru kept his eyes to the ceiling where a single LED light hung, lighting up the small box of a room. The walls were white brick with one wall lined by dated counters. A small fridge sat on the surface with a steady hum where the lunches, dinners, and breakfasts of workers chilled until it was time for their breaks from the chaotic atmosphere that raged on just outside of the heavy, metal door. The breakroom was entirely different from the club itself. If one were to put earmuffs on someone and shoved them into the room, the person would never be able to guess that a strip club progressed just outside. They might even guess an office job or even worn-down apartment before it. The only thing that gave it away was the loud music that traveled through the door’s crevices. Still, it was much better than being front and center.

The door opened, amplifying the music, making the vulgar lyrics more coherent as another worker walked in, taking their moment to breathe. The two looked to find the very exotic dancer that had directed the club’s attention to Neji the previous night. She stepped in shyly, keeping her head lowered and presence at a minimum. Her long, black hair covered the side of her face as she removed her heels and stepped towards the mini fridge across the cement floor. There was no doubt that the flooring was freezing against her pale, and rather battered feet. Neji noticed bruises on her smallest toes and heels of her feet. His eyes traveled up the rest of her as he wondered if what he and Shikamaru went through compared to the exotic dancer’s daily routine at all. The woman, rather tall even without the pumps, pulled a drink from the cooler and opened it with a fizz before sipping from the can. She shut the door and sat at the single table rounded by four seats, consciously keeping her face hidden.

The Hyuga looked to Shikamaru who continued to eye the dancer. She wore the same body suit that complemented her shape as last time. The boy watched her as though he had never seen anything like the woman. She was beautiful and her light presence made her all the more mysterious which intrigued him. Neji followed the Nara’s eyes in looking to the woman as she sat at the table directly underneath the ceiling light with her head lowered. She looked exhausted.

“Hey,” Shikamaru spoke suddenly. Neji looked to him as if he had committed an unspeakable offense. The Nara paid him no mind as he stood. The sound of him raising himself from the floor seemed to be the only thing that told the dancer that he was in fact talking to her. She peeked over her shoulder, long strands of black covering a good bit of her face, still a single eye was visible.

“Hello,” she greeted quietly. She seemed to be on edge.

“You been here a while?” Shikamaru asked.

She nodded as her attention shifted back to the table. She almost looked scared.

“Oh, well, we’re new. I’m Shikamaru, that’s Neji,” he said pointing back to the Hyuga who just now rose to his feet. Neji wished the Nara would leave the dancer alone. It was clear that she did not wish to be bothered.

She took another sip before drawing more into herself as though Shikamaru’s proximity posed a threat. It got the Nara to stop in his tracks.

“Nice to meet you,” Shikamaru said as he studied her movements one by one. He was trying to figure out the dancer’s story and reason for the subtly, nervous motions. “Sorry to bother you.”

The woman then looked to him from over her shoulder before smiling with a shake of her head as if dismissing what he had said, as if assuring that he hadn’t bothered her at all, but the way she stood and avoided the Nara as she made her way through the door said otherwise. Surely her break hadn’t been over so quickly.

“Okay,” Shikamaru said.

“You should have left her alone,” Neji said.

“Didn’t know she was a victim of some kind of trauma.”

“It did seem that way,” Neji admitted worriedly.

The two held a silence as the door shut heavily.

. . .

“I’d pay you to dance in that case!” Shizune said as the boys put her groceries away.

“No,” Neji declined after telling the woman of the club’s most popular question.

“Oh, come on, you _are_ a looker.”

“He’s not athletic in any way, he would fall as soon as his feet left the floor,” Shikamaru joked with a straight face.

Neji shook his head as he stocked the fridge with produce.

Shizune laughed, “Well the work you’re doing is great, keep it up and I won’t have to evict you,” She clapped three quick times as she crossed her legs in the counter stool.

“Why are our dads so important in this whole operation?” Shikamaru asked suddenly.

Shizune’s smile dropped, “Hm? Oh, well when they skipped town, they sort of started a revolution. They were in charge of managing the product and when they left, the other workers didn’t know what their orders were and began rethinking their careers, I guess. The workers underestimated what our partners would really do to them if they revolted. Some were dealt with immediately and others are taking a bit more time to track down, but it really only has anything to do with our partners. They just asked for assistance in locating the workers and most of them have been rounded up,” she explained as she picked at her chipping nail polish, “They shouldn’t have a problem with rehiring more staff, but they don’t take lightly to disrespect. Since it was all sparked by your fathers disrupting their system, however, there’s no telling what our partners would do to them once they found them. They were the only ones to really see the power that our partners hold. I mean, your fathers are also the only ones out of the workers who have seen them kill in cold blood, so the others weren’t as intimidated by the idea of skipping out on work. The extras only had stories and rumors to go off of. Now, some are on the run while others are wasting away in tins of acid floating about in the ocean,” she said dreamily, “at least that’s what Tsunade told me.”

Neji froze in the middle of shutting the fridge as Shikamaru tried to catch a can that nearly slipped through his fingers. “Shit,” he cursed when the metal can hit the floor. TonTon ran towards it hoping it was something she could nibble on only to be robbed of the aluminum as soon as she skidded to a stop at the Nara’s feet. She squealed aggressively while stepping on his socked foot at the loss.

“I’m sorry, but your fathers are in danger,” Shizune put simply.

It rolled right off of Neji due to him barely knowing a thing about Hizashi, but he looked to Shikamaru who stood blankly, weakly holding the can with both hands. A wave of melancholy washed over him before he shut his eyes to regroup. He then sighed with a shake of his head as though it were typical behavior of his father then continued with filling the cabinets with cans of non perishables.


	39. Chapter 39

Again, Neji fought through waves of the audience that refused to move to the side enough for him to get a tray back to the kitchen. Suddenly, someone fell against him causing him to spill the contents of the tray once he crashed to the ground. That was enough to get people to clear up. Neji lifted his head, spotting the exotic dancer from yesterday staring at him from where she danced on stage. Once she caught his eyes, she looked away and continued about her routine. Neji then whipped around to find that it was Shikamaru who had collided with him. The Nara had been forced to the ground by a drunk that was now being held back by a single bouncer. The bouncer had a bit of trouble holding the heavy man back which was when another guard came to his assistance in guiding the drunk out of the club altogether. Neji watched them until the three were no longer visible before grabbing onto the hand offered by a mildly tipped off Nara Shikamaru.

. . .

Neji stared to the concrete floor of the breakroom as an instant meal warmed in the dated microwave. Shikamaru watched the meal as it spun in the machine’s light before looking to the door that had opened unexpectedly. It was the same woman from yesterday, only her head hung lower than before. She eased herself to the table taking extra care that her hair obscured their view of her facial features. Shikamaru looked to Neji who had noticed it all as well before looking back to his meal. Suddenly they heard a couple of sniffles before she exhaled steadily. The microwave blared a beep, alerting the Nara that the meal was done. Shikamaru took the piping hot plate from the mini oven and opened the fridge to retrieve the same soft drink that the woman sipped on the previous day. He shut it then approached her. He placed the drink right next to where she lied her head against the table, shrouded by her arms. She heard the Nara approach her side and sat up immediately. Her arms stuck to her sides and her shoulders remained stiff; she was just as tense as yesterday. She kept her head lowered, but her dark, brown eyes watched the boy’s every movement. Shikamaru held his hands up as though showing that he was in fact unarmed and meant no harm. He then took the seat right before her and unwrapped the meal. Neji watched from a darker corner of the room, rubbing the back of his neck to ease his joints. He watched how the woman kept her head lowered no matter what. She didn’t speak much and seemed stuck stiffly to her seat. Her feet were as beaten up as yesterday though her nails were painted a perfect teal to contrast against her dancing attire. She did not touch the drink the Nara had offered her. She only stared to it.

“You gonna drink it? I’ll take it if you don’t want to,” Shikamaru said.

His voice caused her eyes to flicker back towards him. It was as though his words stifled her every train of thought. She then looked back to the can.

Neji then eased forward from his corner of the room which seemed to raise every last one of her walls if they weren’t up before. The Hyuga paused midway for the sake of her comfort. He looked to the Nara who continued to eat. He appeared to disregard the woman’s tension and remained quite casual with everything. It was nothing out of the ordinary for him.

“Don’t really care for vegetables,” he commented before dropping the plastic fork into the dampened, paper bowl. “You can have it if you want; I hate waste more than the meal.”

She looked to the plate that still steamed. Its condensation seeped through the paper bowl and onto the metal table. The surface seemed like something that belonged in a prison. He then stood having noticed that break was nearly over. He walked towards Neji who still stood still in the center of the dull room. The woman’s gaze remained on the plate.

“Hate this place,” Shikamaru said.

Neji nodded, “How much longer do you think we’ll work here?”

“Don’t know, but I don’t really believe that we could stay in a city. I know they’re around every corner.”

“I am sure we will relocate soon,” Neji agreed.

“Yeah, well I hope,” Shikamaru rolled his shoulders as he slid his hands into his uniform pockets, “Working here’s a drag,” he said before walking through the door, re-entering the night’s madness.

. . .

“You gotta pay,” Shikamaru argued calmly with a customer who refused to pay for the meal he had consumed.

“The food was garbage,” the man reasoned.

“Which is why you ate the whole plate?” Shikamaru questioned, raising the plate that had been eaten clean. He then dropped the plate against the table with a loud clack.

“Where’s your manager?” The customer disapproved of the boy’s apparent attitude.

“Wait here,” the Nara said plainly before stepping away. Neji followed him. The man had actually been the Hyuga’s customer, but he waved the Nara down with a simple look from across the club begging for assistance. The two wove through the crowd which seemed to come more naturally for the Nara than Neji who began to fall behind. Eventually, the two wound up down a hall on the lower of the split-level building and right outside of Shizune’s office. Shikamaru listened for a brief moment before giving the wood a couple of sturdy knocks.

“Come in,” she called. Both males entered her dark, cozy and rather feminine office. She crossed her legs and sat back in her office chair, “How can I help you?”

“This asshole won’t pay,” Shikamaru put simply.

“What?” She frowned before slowly rising from her seat, “We’ll see about that,” she mumbled as she made her way to the door. Before she could open it, the handle turned, and another man entered as if he owned the building. He carried a large satchel in his hand and shot right past the three before pausing and spinning on his heel. He looked the two boys over.

“Neji?”

“Itachi?” Neji stared in shock.

“Where have you been?” The Uchiha looked right back at him in disbelief.

“I…” Neji could not answer honestly.

“You have been missing for a week. Your father was expecting you home by Sunday,” Itachi continued. The two have been gone without a word for a week. It was Saturday by then, but the rush of their jobs only made them think of sleep and survival in the meantime.

“A week?” Neji echoed quietly in realization.

Shikamaru looked to the man’s bag. He noticed its size before looking to where the man had been heading. He saw a large safe right in his path. He could not have been collecting the club’s revenue. There were no opportunities for customers to pay in only cash unless they left a tip or paid in cash for drinks. Given the way the world ran around them now, the majority would pay by card rather than bills or coins. The Nara was highly doubtful that whatever was in that safe was in fact clean, club cash. He then caught Itachi’s eyes that seemed to be a bit more unsteady than before and more distrusting at second glance.

“Come on,” Shizune urged.

“How is Sasuke?” Neji asked.

“He’s,” Itachi turned his back, “Fine. He’s taking a break from school and sports for a little while, at least until he’s back on his feet. He’s still staying with me just for the sake of a different environment, but he is fine.”

Neji did not believe it due to the man’s odd tone. It was flat. “That is good,” he responded.

“Why are you here?” Itachi asked a second time, getting right back to the point.

“Working,” Neji answered.

Itachi looked to the woman who was so desperate to rush the boys from the office, “What are they doing here?”

“Working like he said,” she said firmly, hinting that no further questions will be answered.

Itachi seemed as though he didn’t believe that it was all there was to it. Still, he closed his mouth and stared to Neji until the three departed.

Shizune shut the door behind them and fell a pace behind the two, “You’re leaving with me when your shift is over.”

. . .

Neji washed his hands in the club bathroom but allowed the warm water to trickle through his fingers for a bit. He was hesitant to get back onto the field that was his work so he stood for some seconds, indulging in the most peace and quiet he would get for the next hour when the bathroom door squeaked open. It was Itachi who entered as though he were looking for someone. Given how he looked to the Hyuga, that someone was Neji.

“What are you doing here?” He asked in a hushed voice. He neared Neji, leaving little to no personal space. The Hyuga backed up just a bit before he averted his eyes. “Come with me,” he said.

Neji shook his head, “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No,” Neji sealed his eyes. He clung to the sink behind him, wishing the man would simply leave him alone.

“They are only using you, Neji.”

This caught the younger male’s full attention. He looked to the Uchiha who had yet to redirect his hard stare.

“Come with me. I can hide you. You can’t trust the Senju,” he rephrased.

Neji looked to him with hope, hope that he could be his ticket out, hope that he had found a break in it all.

“We have to sneak through. My car is parked outside. We need to go before your shift is over. She will come looking for you then, I’m sure. She thinks I am long gone by now,” he informed, looking to the restroom door. He then pulled his phone from his pocket and began to type.

“What about Shikamaru?”

“Is he in the same situation as you?”

“Yes.”

“Find him and meet me towards the front. If we put space between one another, it will lessen the likelihood of us being spotted once we leave. I will start the car and pick you up in the front of the club; it’s the only way out by street,” he said before leaving the Hyuga alone in the vanity to follow through with his given instructions.

. . .

His head twisted and turned as he tried to peak over the large amount of men who all ranged from early adulthood to middle. Eventually, he spotted a signature hair do that seemed to rise over a number of others. He then moved with determination towards the Nara before his shoulder was grabbed. Neji turned to face Shizune who kept a warm smile.

“Come with me,” she said, pulling the Hyuga towards the bar. Neji watched as Shikamaru shrank in the distance “Have a drink,” she said as she sat in a tall bar stool partially lit by the bar light. Neji sat feeling as though there were no way out of it. He knew Itachi was waiting for him and hated the idea of the man leaving them due to having something else to attend to; the Uchiha was the most familiar thing he had seen in a little over a week and he was eager to reunite with him outside just as he said.

“So, see any dancers you like? I noticed how our fan favorite grabbed you by your face the other day,” she teased before taking a sip of her colorful beverage. “Get him a shot,” the woman ordered the bartender.

“I do not drink,” Neji spoke distractedly as he looked for the Nara. The task seemed to be impossible at this point.

“You will tonight,” she cheered as she gave Neji an unidentifiable liquid in a small glass, “It would be an insult to leave such an offer untouched,” she grinned before leaning her chin against her palm. Her stare was pressuring as she waited for the boy to sip from the small cup.

Neji looked to the glass that contained something he had never tasted or knew the name of. He grabbed it, now feeling as though he would suffocate if he didn’t, and almost lifted it from the bar surface when Shizune stood. Neji watched the woman who stared to the stage in panic.

“Where did he go?” She questioned under her breath.


	40. Chapter 40

A number of complaints could be heard from the mosh pit before the stage. Neji turned to eye an empty pole front and center on the stage where the exotic woman had been only minutes ago, or at least when he was searching for Shikamaru in the sea of customers. Suddenly, she was gone and Shizune pushed to the front to find her. Neji then stood from his seat which creaked after being relieved of his weight which alerted Shizune of his movement. She then spun her head to eye the Hyuga. Neji’s pulse rose as the commotion around them began to pick up. Shizune fought towards him and the male’s intuition told him to run, so he did. He spun around, luckily locating the Nara who stared to the empty pole from the other side of the bar.

“Shikamaru!” Neji yelled as he shot past the bar. The Nara stopped cleaning the glass in his hands and looked to the Hyuga. He wasted no time in taking after Neji in a straight dash towards the door no questions asked. Both were being followed by Shizune who was hot on their tails and would have caught up if it weren’t for her heels.

“Stop them!” She yelled, calling for the two bouncers by the door. Two large men blocked the doors only for one to open from behind.

“Step aside!” A female’s voice could be heard on the other side of the tall men. They did as told after feeling a gun pressed to either of their backs, allowing the boys to slip past. Neji caught a glimpse of their savior. She had a pony tail of dark brown hair and a mole under her right eye. The boys stopped at nothing as they ran from the club and down the sidewalk for as far as the building stretched.

“Hey!” They heard Shizune yell from the club doors as someone else slipped through. The person nearly slipped on the wet pavement as she emerged from the doors in a rush. She took after the boys.

“It’s her,” Shikamaru said.

Neji glanced over his shoulder to find the dancer running right after them, breathlessly in the rain.

“She could be working with them.”

“Or she’s an abused dancer,” the Nara shot back, “Hey!” He yelled out for her.

“Shikamaru!” Neji exclaimed as they ran.

“You need help?!” The Nara cupped his hands as the one who saved them emerged from the club’s entrance as well.

The dancer looked back in a panicked manner before picking up her pace. “Help!” She cried. Her voice cracked as tears glimmered in the streetlights.

“Get to the car!” The brown-haired woman yelled from way back, “Go, go, go!”

A white sedan then screeched to a sudden stop before the passenger door flung open, “Get in!” Itachi yelled from behind the wheel.

Neji and Shikamaru did as told and watched as the woman that saved them ran past the dancer who looked to be on the verge of hyperventilating. The woman then slid into the back seat right next to Neji before shutting the door.

“Wait,” Shikamaru ordered, watching the dancer from the car windows.

“We need to go,” Itachi said as he gripped the wheel.

Shikamaru then swung the door open and ran towards the dancer who was being chased by the two bouncers accompanied by an angered Shizune. The dancer helplessly cried as either side neared her, unsure of who to run towards. She was overwhelmed and uncertain of which would have a less harsh outcome, so she could only cower on the pavement as Itachi watched restlessly from the car. Neij watched the scene anxiously from the backseat.

“What are they doing?” The brown-haired woman asked from where she sat right next to the Hyuga.

They then saw Shikamaru help the dancer from the sidewalk, pushing her to keep running towards the car whose headlights flashed in the harsh rain. The dancer seemed to be limping after the sprint on the battered, bruised feet.

“Wait,” Neji whispered.

“We need to go!” Itachi exclaimed. He then opened his own door and stood in the street, shooting towards Shizune and her henchmen. He did not aim to kill, only to stall. He then ducked back into the car, ready to pull off. He did not come to make a scene and cause bigger problems. He put the car in drive and prepared to speed off regardless of how close the Nara and the woman were to making it back.

“Wait!” Neji yelled before Shikamaru helped the dancer duck into the car, shutting the door harshly in a rush. He then sunk into the passenger seat. Before he could close his own door, Itachi sharply turned the wheel to make a sudden u-turn to get them out of blasting range if necessary. The five of them sped down the city street in the heavy rain, the windshield wipers swayed noisily against the glass.

“What were you thinking?” Itachi asked.

“She needed help,” Shikamaru was prepared to defend himself.

“Who is she?” Itachi questioned, looking to the dancer that continued to cry her heart out.

“She needed help, so I helped her. They were obviously abusing her in there.”

“If they were abusing her then they’re more than likely abusing the rest,” Itachi pointed out, “Are you going to save them?”

“Well they have one less victim. I’m sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” the Nara concluded as he stared through the window.

Neji looked to the dancer who was on the far end of the car seat, on the other side of the woman that saved them all. He watched as the stranger cried into her hands, her entire upper body shook with her silent wails as her dark hair stuck to her face and neck. He had no clue of what they had pulled her from, but he was sure that what the Nara had done was for the best. Out of the other exotic dancers, she was the only one to behave as though everything posed a threat to her. Something told the Hyuga that unlike the other dancers, the one they had taken was the only one that truly needed saving.

. . .

So far, the trip back to Konohagakure was long in which the dancer did not speak and hardly looked any of them in the eye. She remained drawn into herself and did not trust a single hand that reached out towards her. When they offered her a bed for herself in the hotels they stayed in, she would simply lock herself in the bathroom. She had made it clear that she trusted no one even if that someone saved her from her abusers in the pouring rain.

Neji watched the occupied restroom as the conversation continued.

“Neji,” Shikamaru said.

The Hyuga shifted his attention back to the discussion that began to weigh down on each of them. They only wished to sleep now, but the plan was to deliver the boys back to their respective places tomorrow.

“Ideas?” The Nara asked, “I’m pretty sure Hiashi pinned it on me since we both went missing at the same time,” he figured as he leaned against the counter, “Probably thinks I kidnapped you or something,” he smirked humorously.

Neji knew this was true. After so little time between Hiashi’s warning and their sudden disappearances, he was more than sure that the man assumed that it had been a result of the Nara’s typically absent father. Neji crossed his arms as he thought of a story.

Shikamaru then swayed away from the hotel countertop, “You think we can think about it in the car tomorrow?” He asked, ready to dismiss himself for the night.

“That is too last minute,” Neji shot down.

“Let’s just say we got lost in the mountains,” the Nara tried.

“That could work,” Itachi pondered.

“You have friends that are willing to lie for you?” The brown-haired woman asked. Her name was Izumi, so they learned along the trip.

“Yes. One of the Senju told me to make up a lie to disappear for a few days,” which turned into a week and would have been more if Itachi hadn’t found him, “I told my,” Neji hesitated.

“Hiashi,” Itachi nodded.

Neji looked to the Uchiha before continuing, “That my friends were going on a camping trip. My friends were willing to lie to him about it, but I cannot see them stretching a lie out for this long.” It was already suspicious that Hinata wouldn’t be invited on the trip, but he could not use the excuse of it being a guys trip when it was only Naruto and Ino that agreed to lie for him.

“It has been a week since you left,” Itachi considered.

“Just say we got lost in the woods,” the Nara tossed the idea back onto the table for further consideration.

Itachi, Izumi and Neji all looked to him as if he were the chalkboard that they had all been drawing on. Their gazes then dispersed as the idea sunk in. Shikamaru dropped his head with a sigh. It was beginning to drag on and on through his eyes.

“Look, it’s the easiest answer we just have to sell it,” Shikamaru continued.

“How?” Neji asked.

“Just,” the Nara shrugged, “I don’t know. Just say we were walking through a cave, flashlight batteries died, we fell down some hole or something and worked to climb out.”

“We were stuck in a hole for a week?” The Hyuga summarized.

“Then when we came up, it was night and we didn’t know which way to go, so we got lost.”

Neji stared to him as he considered the tale. He supposed it was simpler than making a world of other things up. It was simple enough to remember. They then heard the door to the restroom ease open. The dancer stood still as she looked from one pair to the other back and forth. The whites of her eyes were just barely visible from behind the curtain of untamed black hair. The clothes she borrowed from Itachi hung loosely on her rather frail body.

“Would you like anything to eat?” Itachi asked knowing the answer.

The dancer then left the comfort of the restroom, keeping her eyes to Itachi as she neared the fridge. The Uchiha looked back to Shikamaru as the dancer helped herself to whatever she found. “I think the story will work,” Itachi finalized.

“I mean I would be convinced,” Izumi commented.

“Okay, night,” the Nara said as he took his leave. Not long after, Izumi exited the dim kitchen and made her way towards one of the two hotel beds. Itachi and Neji still stood and watched each other as they listened to the dancer go through the refrigerator. They were both asking silent questions about the woman, the questions that remained silent throughout the trip. The dancer then shut the fridge door with an apple and banana in hand. She looked to either male as if making sure they hadn’t moved before leaving the two to wonder in silence. Neji watched her the whole way, but Itachi kept his head lowered after realizing his stare alone put the woman on edge.

“How is Sasuke?” Neji asked.

“Better. He said he would attend school tomorrow, but I made it clear that I’m not forcing his recovery.”

“I see,” Neji began to watch the bit of light that escaped the crevices of the bathroom door.

“Here,” Itachi said, grabbing his attention, “Give her these,” the Uchiha reached into a small traveling bag and retrieved a medicinal bottle, “They should help with any pain she has.”

Neji remembered the bruises on her feet and later found callouses on her hands, one of which seemed to be susceptible to bleeding. Neji nodded knowing that the man made her the most uncomfortable out of all of them. He took the bottle and made his way to the locked door. Neji listened against the door in the dark room for a minute before knocking. Again, he heard nothing. He looked to Itachi who shook his head cluelessly before he stripped himself of his suit jacket. Neji then faced the door again. He closed his tired eyes to think. He opened his mouth only for nothing to come out. He still didn’t know her name or have her trust, so he sat the bottle down on the television stand and took for his own bed.

. . .

“We got lost, our phones died while we were trying to call only for there to be no reception,” Shikamaru painted the picture as he sat backwards in a wooden chair. He leaned his chin against the back of it as he continued, “We wander for a while after and try to get to the nearest phone. We would’ve found one sooner if we weren’t such a mess from being in the woods for so long. People in town think we’re dirty, deranged beggars, so we wander somewhere else which is where we conveniently come across Itachi,” he said holding his hand out to the Uchiha.

Neji looked to Itachi and Izumi for their opinions.

“I say this kid is a genius,” Izumi tilted her head as she spooned through a yogurt cup.

“He takes us in, gets us a hotel room, we get cleaned up. After that, we head to town,” Shikamaru concluded.

Neji nodded once in agreement.

“The thing is what were you doing so far out of town?” Shikamaru asked the Uchiha.

“Business trip,” Itachi said monotonously.

“Good enough for me,” the Nara said before standing and pushing the seat back under the table.

“Okay, well I’ll get the girl and we’ll go,” Izumi sighed before taking a stand. The men watched as she stood before the bathroom door that had yet to open that morning.

“Honey? Is there anyone we can call for you?” Izumi called with a light knock.

No answer.

“Can I come in?” Izumi asked further.

No answer.

“Just say you gotta piss,” Shikamaru offered.

Izumi looked to him as if it were a ridiculous thing to resort to before her eyes shot upwards in consideration. She leaned her head side to side before she put it into motion, “I need to use the restroom.”

At first there was no answer, but then quiet steps could be heard as the dancer lifted herself from the bathtub. The doorknob then turned slowly before the strange woman peeked through a crack. She kept her eyes lowered until she was reminded of the men in the room. She stared to them with caution before allowing Izumi in. Oddly, the dancer did not leave the bathroom once the woman stepped in. They all stood in silence.

“I just want to know if you need help getting home,” Izumi spoke softly.

The dancer kept her gaze lowered and lips sealed.

“Honey, we only want to help you, I promise. None of us want to hurt you,” Izumi swore, placing a hand to the stranger’s shoulder. She did not pull away, but she did not relax either. She looked to Izumi’s shoes silently, idly. “What can we do?”

The dancer then looked back to the men who stared to her curiously only for her to shut the door. It was now woman to woman in the bathroom as the men remained clueless in the hotel room.

“Okay,” Shikamaru said before settling on the bed, “So, are you good with the story?”

“Yes,” Neji agreed.

“It will work,” Itachi nodded.

Izumi then emerged from the restroom and eased the door shut behind her, “Okay, so apparently she has parents but doesn’t know where they are. She doesn’t seem like she really wants to go back to them though.” She got answers from the stranger quicker than either of them could have ever which confirmed that it was only men that she seemed to have an aversion to.

Each one of them frowned realizing the dancer never had a break if everything began with the parents. It made sense as to why her fear seemed to be so deeply engrained.

“I would let her stay with us for a while, but I’m not sure if she would be okay living with Itachi,” Izumi admitted.

“Well, I scare her too,” the Nara said before looking back to the Uchiha.

“It’s fine,” Itachi said, “She can stay at the house. I’ll plan a visit with my parents and stay there until you find more about her that could help us get her somewhere safe.”

“Are you sure?” Izumi asked.

Itachi nodded.

She then turned back to the door, “Honey?” She knocked a couple of times. The door opened quicker that time around, “You can live with me if you want. I do share a house with Itachi, but he’s willing to leave the house if that would make you feel better.”

The frail woman in the doorway looked to said man before she dropped her gaze once again. Everything about her seemed uncertain. She then nodded lightly.

“Okay, and,” Izumi paused realizing they never caught her name, “What’s your name sweet heart?”

The dancer mumbled.

“I’m sorry?”

She then stepped back into the restroom and seemed to be glad her words hadn’t reached Izumi’s ears before shutting the door followed by a click of the lock.

“Maybe she doesn’t want us calling her parents or putting out a notice that we recovered some long-lost person,” Shikamaru suggested.

“Well, when she’s ready, she’ll talk. Nobody force her to do anything she shows any resistance towards,” Izumi ordered, “Now pack up, let’s get on the road.”


	41. Chapter 41

Neji sat in the dark of his bedroom before the seemingly violent glow of his laptop screen that displayed each lesson and activity he had missed while they were away, far from anything they recognized or truly understood. He frowned considering sending his teachers emails asking for an extension, but he felt as though his absence was undeserved, so he should be more than ready to get back to work. He thought about the silent woman that they had saved from Shizune’s night club and wondered how she was doing. He then wondered if he would see Shizune again. He waited for a message from the Senju, but nothing came.

Everything happened so quickly that he could hardly remember if he had gotten the story right the previous day. Yesterday, upon his arrival, Itachi knocked on the door of the Hyuga residence with Neji by his side, and Hanabi opened it. Her eyes had rounded before she screamed for her father who ran from his office fearing something had gone terrible awry at the door. Once he rounded the corner to find Neji standing just on the doorstep after being gone without any lead or explanation, Hiashi was frozen in his tracks. The man’s eyes mirrored his own daughter’s as he started towards Neji in a quick step. He wrapped his arms tightly around Neji and the boy sunk into his shoulder. That was when Hinata appeared over the railing before sprinting down to reunite with her previously missing elder brother. Hiashi’s hold lasted for what seemed to be an eternity. Though the man rarely voiced it, the embrace was a reminder of how much Hiashi truly did care for Neji like the father he had always posed to be. He took care of him like a father and accepted him as a father should. Everything he did was to care for and protect Neji rather than hurt him. His words make that unclear at times, but his actions spoke louder than those very words. Neji was slow to bring his own arms around the man because he felt an immediate wall of guilt from stressing him so intensely. He knew Hiashi had work nonstop from a demanding boss and before Hiashi could get his arms around the younger Hyuga, Neji could see the added stress in his eyes. He looked so tired. Finally, Neji wrapped his arms underneath Hiashi’s own and gripped his shoulders. He listened to the words of longing and worry that Hiashi muttered over his shoulder and felt worse by the second.

Hiashi cared greatly. He allowed Neji to take the first day home off from school and offered for him to stay home for the rest of the week after hearing the story they formulated just the night prior, but Neji declined and went back shortly after his return. It was now Tuesday night. Throughout his day at school, students would stare or ask if he was alright. He decided he did not feel up to the questionnaire, so he ate lunch alone. Shikamaru had stayed home, and Neji still did not wish to be around the Inuzuka who had nearly bruised his head and shouted curses and slurs – personal ones -- after doing so. They all seemed to be Kiba’s deepest feelings that bubbled up from the alcohol impairing his ability to bite his tongue. Neji recalled walking to his final class and seeing Sasuke just down the hall. Again, the Uchiha gazed at him as if he wished to approach, but he did not. He watched the Hyuga until Neji turned into his class to wrap up the day without having spoken a word throughout the entire day.

Neji’s eyes refocused on the assignments that piled up over the seven days that he had been in another land. He began to regret heading right back to school after being supposedly stuck in a hole for so long, wandering through the woods, and then searching for an accessible phone. His personal phone buzzed which made him regret ever powering it on as well. They were more messages from the group chat regarding his well-being. Neji felt that if they truly cared, they would not have kept Kiba around after he had beaten not only Neji’s friend but Neji right after all while failing to tend to his so called crush’s injury who was supposedly their friend as well. The Hyuga eased his hand over where the Inuzuka had harshly bitten his arm. His frown deepened, weighted by the thoughts that swirled. His phone chimed again, and he quickly reached for the device to silence it when he saw Shikamaru’s name above all other notifications.

_‘I’m guessing you went to school,’ Shikamaru._

Neji stared to the message wondering if the conversation would branch out. He looked back to his computer screen weighing his options. He sighed and lowered the computer screen before unlocking his cell phone, _‘I did.’_

_‘Knew it,’ Shikamaru._

_‘I am guessing you stayed home.’_

_‘You know it. Did the Senju ever message you after everything?’ Shikamaru._

_‘No, have they messaged you?’_

_‘Not yet, but I’m sure we’ll be hearing from either them or their partners in a few,’ Shikamaru._

Neji shut his eyes just picturing the number vibrating his second phone. He wanted no parts of either side.

_‘Itachi said it was a business trip which I think is true, but the type of business was what I thought was weird,’ Shikamaru._

Neji furrowed his brows, _‘What do you mean?’_

_‘So, he’s a detective, right? Everyone in school knows it. He took the class, was a star student and the brother of Sasuke Uchiha, a popular guy. The thing is, why was he in another land entirely on a business trip if he’s a detective?’ Shikamaru._

Neji thought about it, _‘Perhaps he excels at his job, and there was a case where we were.’_

_‘Yeah, but different areas have their own cops, detectives all of that. That doesn’t explain why he walked into a club owner’s office with a huge duffle bag heading straight towards a safe,’ Shikamaru._

_‘The club could have been the area that needed investigating,’_ Neji tried. He wanted to defend his friend’s elder brother oddly enough. Itachi was always known as a kind and selfless man; Neji could not picture him leading double lives. Though he had never gotten to know the Uchiha on a personal level, he felt a sort of respect towards him. He knew that feeling of respect and fondness he felt was shared by just about everyone in the community. It was as though it were planted there simply because of what everyone around them held Itachi up to be. He was a respected detective that worked and solved a number of cases and located a number of missing children. His occupation and attitude painted him out to be someone who would serve humanity before he ever even thought about going against the law. Still, Shikamaru’s questions and observations did raise concerns.

_‘Neji,’ Shikamaru._

Neji knew that neither of them truly knew Itachi, so he had to let go of his biases.

_‘He was suspicious from the minute he stepped into the office to the point he didn’t hesitate to pull a gun from his coat,’ Shikamaru._

Neither Shizune or her men seemed to have been armed, but Itachi was quick to fire right in their paths, risking injury or death of their pursuers. He shot with a cold exterior and seemed to know that Neji was in danger when they crossed paths in the club somwhow. He gave the impression that he had met Shizune before. There was a quiet tension between the two when he first appeared. He had business in the club without a doubt, but it did not seem too connected to his occupation as a detective.

_‘All I’m saying is that even though he saved us, there’s something off,’ Shikamaru._

_‘I understand.’_

Neji then scrolled through the rest of his messages only to maintain his disinterest, still he kept scrolling. He did not know why. Finally, he reached the bottom. None of them were from Hizashi. Neji scrolled up and down to make sure before simply staring to the screen. Everything the man had said about caring about Neji weakened just be the lack of apparent concern. He hated how curious he was of the man. He then supposed the man might only message his second phone if at all. However, even then it had been days since the newer phone was notified of anything. Finally, he shook his head of the matter, Neji had a father and it was Hiashi Hyuga. He did not need Hizashi. He placed the phone onto his desk before standing to stretch. Neji knew that Ino and Naruto could not have stretched their lie out for an entire week, so he wondered what was taking Hiashi so long to question him. Perhaps he truly wished for Neji to readjust to being home and fall back in synch with his schedule before scolding him into running off again. There was a knock at the door which would most likely be the beginning of the answer to his question.

Hiashi stepped in and watched Neji with concern softening his stare. He eased the door shut behind himself before approaching Neji’s desk, “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” Neji promised.

“You were with,” he paused. He nearly said the Nara boy when he decided to correct himself, “Shikamaru.”

Neji reopened his laptop to have something to stare to as opposed to his own lap.

“Neji,” Hiashi began, uncertainty made evident through his many pauses. He looked to the scratch paper that lied forgotten in the corner of the flat surface, “What happened?”

Perhaps he did not buy the story.

“What do you mean?” Neji asked.

“You told me that you would be going with Ino and Naruto, but they later told their parents and me that they didn’t know where you were. It was all they could do after a week goes by. You were still missing, but they were safe and sound at home. It did not line up, so they admitted it was all a lie. Then, come to find out, Shikamaru Nara had not been seen at school for a couple of days, but it was not reported as a case of a missing person, because he misses school quite frequently I’ve been told,” he narrowed his eyes as he thought through what he was trying to say, “Neji…”

“I went with him,” Neji fessed up. He still kept his eyes from Hiashi but the man’s silence was heavy. He then made his way towards Neji’s bed slowly as if a misstep could begin a harsh verbal lashing out. Neji stayed in his office seat with his back facing the man who sunk into the mattress slowly.

“Do you want to be emancipated? Is that it?” Hiashi asked quietly. Neji, though turned away from him, could see his anger-filled eyes. “Do you want me to legally emancipate you so you can run a muck with that boy?!” He finally resorted to yelling.

Neji shook his head shamefully.

“Then what is it?! I allowed you to see him, you lie to me again so you can do gods know what in the mountains?! There was no call, no text, you gave me nothing to tell me you were okay! You gave me nothing to tell you hadn’t been taken or injured! You lied to get out of this house and stayed away from this house for a week because you fell in a hole, got lost in the dark and stumbled upon Itachi in some foreign…” he stopped to release a sharp breath, “And so you might have gone through all of that in which case I am sorry,” he calmed down, “But, damn it Neji, I only want to know if you are safe and you keep lying and lying and lying and…”

“I need help,” Neji said, interrupting the man’s scolding.

“What?” Hiashi questioned after a long pause. Neji did not respond. He only blocked the screen glow from reaching the man behind him, “Neji what is wrong?”

Neji shook his head, “Nothing. I’m sorry,” he sighed before picking his pencil back up to continue the virtual assignment.

“You said you need help,” the man continued, “What do you need help with?”

Nothing.

“Neji,” Hiashi tried again.

Nothing.

“Neji, talk to me, what do you need?”

Neji only shook his head as he punched numbers into a calculator. Hiashi stood swiftly to take his leave when an unfamiliar ringtone sounded, alerting the owner of a new message. Truthfully, its charge had never depleted, but it did not matter since the phone was a secret altogether that was until the man paused as Neji went stiff. He had forgotten to silence the device after going so long without the cellular being contacted. Hiashi eyed Neji’s personal phone on the boy’s desk, but the chime had come from his large camping bag which sat next to the bed. All Neji could do was continue his work and hope the man dismissed it. However, once he heard Hiashi unzipping the luggage, he knew it was all over.

“Are you alright? Sent by H,” the man read slowly, menacingly.

Neji’s stomach tightened with fear. His hands shook as he tried to focus on the numbers before him, but he couldn’t. He lowered the calculator to his lap as Hiashi approached him. The man placed the phone before the younger and waited for him to explain. Neji stared to his reflection in the black screen of the newer cellular.

“Where did you get this?”

“It was given to me,” he said truthfully.

“Clearly, because you do not have money for a phone this new,” the man crossed his arms as he stood behind Neji’s head, “Where did you get it?”

Neji knew Shikamaru had handed it to him, but the phone was sent by the Senju. He had to pick the lesser of the two alarming truths. “Shikamaru.”

Hiashi grabbed the phone, “You need help alright,” he grumbled before leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind him.


	42. Chapter 42

The door to his bedroom flung open, waking Neji from his light slumber. He barely got a chance to lift his head before Hiashi was grabbing him by the upper arm and tightly, yanking him into sitting up fully.

“Who are these people?!”

Neji’s pulse quickened but he was too surprised for his thoughts to be coherent.

Hiashi shook his arm to wake him further as his grip tightened, “Who are they?!” He asked again before going through the messages with his opposite hand, “Burn the college campus?! We’ll look into it?! Who are these people, Neji?!”

“I don’t…” Neji’s voice was faint and brief before it was cut off. Hiashi tossed the boy’s arm to the side before turning to open Neji’s closet. He began to blindly grab at articles of clothing, ripping them from their hangers.

“I’m going to the police,” Hiashi began.

“No,” Neji muttered.

Hiashi whipped around to stare to the younger male in shock as if what he had said was something utterly unbelievable. The man then shook his head as he continued to raid the boy’s closet, “You’re staying with your grandfather. Depending on how things go here, I might send your sisters to join you.”

There was nothing Neji could say. All he could do was stare in shock as his clothing fell to the floor, “I’m sorry.”

“You should’ve told me!” Hiashi yelled before emptying his camping bag, scattering its contents across the bed and replacing them with the fabrics he had ripped from the wardrobe, “You don’t know these people. How long have you been speaking to them?”

“A couple of weeks.”

“Weeks?!” Hiashi’s wide eyes pierced through the boy who felt so at a loss of what to do. “Tell your teachers you’re staying with your grandfather and to make every one of your assignments virtual; you know he lives three hours away,” he said before entering Neji’s restroom. Its lights blinded the boy. The man reentered and tossed his toothbrush, toothpaste and soaps into the luggage before he tossed the bag over his shoulder, “Get up.”

“Now?”

“Yes! Now!”

. . .

Neji stared through the car window as the sun began to rise. He was exhausted from the sudden wake, but he could not fall asleep as long as he was anxious about Hiashi’s ominous silence, what would become of his family, and visiting his grandfather who never seemed to fond of Neji from the beginning. Though he could not sleep, Neji made sure not to look even so much as in the direction of the man in the driver’s seat. His stomach rumbled but he knew not to ask for food. He was freezing, but he knew not to ask him to turn the air conditioning off. He had questions, but he knew not to ask them, so he simply watched as the world around them passed them by in a flash. He knew they were going above the speed limit which was just another confirmation of Hiashi’s irreversible anger.

“While you’re here, you are to speak to no one other than your grandfather. If you need to reach me, use his telephone, but that is it. Do you understand me?”

“Yes sir.”

“Damn it, Neji,” he mumbled as he placed both hands on the wheel. He was stressed immensely Neji could tell without even having to look at the man.

Neji’s worries grew at not being able to explain to the Senju what had happened. He only hoped that the police were different from all those years ago, back when they failed the Nara who had nowhere else to turn.

. . .

“Thank you so much, I am so sorry for such short notice,” Hiashi thanked his own father at the door of the man’s rather large home. Hiashi then leaned towards the elder and whispered something unclear before the elder nodded. None of it reached Neji’s ears.

“Should have known this would happen,” his grandfather said lowly.

“Yes, well there seems to be nothing we can do about it,” Hiashi backed away from his ear with a spiteful look clearly targeted towards something apart from his father.

“Police.”

“That is my plan,” his son replied.

“I see,” the two men then shared a knowing stare before the elderly man looked to Neji, “Come.”

. . .

The two ate dinner across from one another under the warm light of an elegantly shaped chandelier that did little to illuminate every corner of the darkened room. Neji was not hungry due to his mind making his stomach toss and turn at the different possibilities that might have been playing out right that second. His grandfather was not a talkative man overall, but he seemed to be mute when Neji was the only one in the room. He heard the man stand and tuck his chair in under the massive, cherry wooden table before walking right past him, leaving him alone without a word since Neji had entered the house that painfully early morning.

The Hyuga’s eyes stuck to the hands that lie motionless in his lap. He remembered Shikamaru. He wondered if the Nara would be punished for his own mistake. He shut his eyes hoping to rid himself of the idea which had proven to be out of false hope time and time again throughout the day. He could no longer hear his grandfather’s footsteps and figured the man would lie down for the night shortly. The plate of food sat cold before him. He could not bring himself to eat, so he stood and lifted the plate, placing it in the excessively large refrigerator before walking out of the kitchen. The house was spacious and rather lonely. Its coolness amplified the lonesome feeling that Neji knew he would have to feel until he next heard from his father, that is if he ever did. His true father, the one that raised him. He decided he might as well head to bed as well, so he began the trek through the lengthy hallway then slowed upon coming across the detailed portraits that hung proudly on the walls. There were family photos, only it was as if his grandfather had only one son. He wondered where Hizashi was and how early he had proven to be incomparable to his twin brother. He then wondered if the man kept portraits of Hizashi stored somewhere for the sake of his family visits and reunions. He stopped before a large painting of Hiashi and his father. He was just a young boy with a knitted vest over a button up shirt with khakis as bottoms. His loafers added to his sophisticated air along with his hair that appeared to be slicked back. Of course, Neji had seen the large painting before, but he never stopped to study it until now, when he had questions about their backgrounds. He then looked to his grandfather’s portion. Even in the painting he kept a straight face, but the raise of his head showed pride in the boy beneath his palm. It was everything Hizashi seemed to have never had. Rather than feeling the pride the painting was trying to portray, Neji felt rather saddened by the many colors that still didn’t capture Hizashi Hyuga.

“Go to bed.”

Neji jumped before spinning around, “Yes, sir. I’m sorry.”

“You will have a curfew,” the old man said before continuing back up the steps in his night wear.

Neji slowed his heart rate from the surprise of the suddenness of the man’s voice. It was demanding and devoid of all kindness as usual. He should be used to it by now but compared to how he spoke to Hinata and Hanabi, it was harsh and cold. It was as though he were a stranger in the man’s home who had already overstayed their welcome.

. . .

Neji waited for the school’s page to load as the desktop buzzed and hummed at different pitches. It was dated and thick in dimension. A layer of dust covered the top from being neglected for so long. Neji was surprised it came on at all. He then spun in the office chair to look through the tall venetian window. He then looked to the lamp on the desk. It was old fashioned with a green, plastic lampshade. In order to turn it on and off, a string had to be pulled. Next to it was an expensive looking pen that was heavy in the hands of anyone that held it. Neji then spun in the chair until the office doors were in his view. They were open for his grandfather to glimpse into to make sure the boy stayed in line, he supposed. Neji then sighed, looking back to the screen that still buffered. He was sure his grades would fall if this was his only access he had. The Hyuga moved the mouse around the screen until the page was displayed. He began to compose emails to his teachers to explain as innocently as he could about his changing environment. He figured that he might as well enroll into a virtual school instead of forcing his teachers to instruct through a hybrid manner.

He sent the final email before trying to access his grades to see if anything new had been assigned only for the screen to begin buffering again. He shut his eyes impatiently before taking a stand. He emerged from the office and looked to his left to find nothing then to his right to be face to face with his grandfather. It startled him just as much as last night which he could not understand. It was not as though he was doing anything he was not supposed to, but the elderly man found a way to make it to where it felt as though he was at all times.

“I was emailing my teachers, but the internet connection continued to go out,” Neji explained, unsure of how to read his grandfather’s seemingly blank face. He only stared to Neji a while longer before leaving the boy alone in the hall. Neji noticed that the man wore shoes and figured he would be leaving shortly.

“Do not leave the house,” his grandfather ordered.

“Grandfather,” Neji spoke, pausing the man in his path. The old man turned to look to the boy who always lacked confidence when facing him.

“Can I call Father?”

“Yes,” he said before continuing towards the front door with nothing more to add. Neji was sure his grandfather knew of Hiashi’s rules and regulations and was sure that Hiashi had expressed them to Neji already, so there was no need to go over them a second time. His grandfather was never known to waste his breath.

“Thank you,” Neji said politely before turning back towards the rest of the expansive home trying to remember where the phone was. Luckily, the ring of an old-fashioned line echoed throughout the walls giving Neji a mental map of the layout enough to locate the phone on his own. He walked from one hall to another then another until he reached the kitchen. By then the phone had stopped ringing, so Neji lifted the old phone and began entering Hiashi’s number through the rotary dial. The only reason he knew how to use one was because he was motivated to teach himself one night when he was left alone with his grandfather. It was the first time they had spent the night there, and he did not yet understand that the man’s silence and blank stares were just who he was, so Neji had been frightened especially at the late hour. He had dialed their mother in hopes of her returning with Hiashi so he would not be left alone with just his younger sisters and the elderly man. In the end he had been scolded by Hiashi, but he truly felt as though his grandfather haunted his own home at the time.

“Hello? Father?” Hiashi answered finally.

“Neji,” the boy corrected.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he only wanted to make sure all was well on the other side of town, “Did you go to police?”

He heard an impatience sigh, “Neji, I’m assuming they told you not to go to police, right?”

Neji’s silence was the answer.

“What criminal would tell you to go to police? Every person that takes part in illegal activity says the same line, but how powerful could they be that they would completely override the law? The law is all we have right now. All we can do is hope, because there is no other way out of this,” he seemed to speak with experience.

Neji remembered the fire and the texts that described just what it was he was doing in the very moment, telling him that he was being watched on several occasions. He knew they were powerful, still, he said nothing. He knew that Hiashi recognized the hole his brother had dug for himself years ago and left Hizashi to live it before he could be completely familiarized with the organizations’ tendencies which is why Neji supposed Hiashi had any hope in the police coming to their aid at all.

“Is your grandfather there?”

“He left a few minutes ago,” Neji answered.

“Okay, well do not leave the house and contact no one but me.”

“Yes, sir.”’

“Neji?”

“Yes?” Neji waited for what the man had to say for a bit before the silence made him wonder if the line had disconnected.

“This,” Hiashi sighed, “None of this is your fault. None of it is. I’m sorry you have to be punished for it, I’m sorry for growing short, but what we’re dealing with is serious. Do you understand?”

Neji understood more than the man knew, “Yes, sir.”

“Okay.”

They shared another silence as Neji looked around the dim and old, yet classy kitchen.

“Be safe,” Hiashi said.

“Yes, sir.”

“I love you, Neji.”

The single line told the boy that what they were dealing with may have been more than he thought he knew. The man never expressed such a thing verbally. Neji always imagined that the only case in which he would is if either he or Neji were dying which sank whatever was supposed to be pumping in his chest. Neji knew what to say but it came slowly.

“I love you, father,” he spoke into the rotary dial phone. The line then disconnected. Just when Neji had settled down, his imagination began to paint newer, more worrisome possibilities that he still struggled to convince himself were out of his control.


	43. Chapter 43

Neji stretched with a sigh before opening his eyes to the bright morning. Slowly, the realization that he was in fact in one of his grandfather’s many bedrooms rather than his own room sunk in. The mattress was large and soft, far from firm which caused its user to sink in and struggle to part ways with the sheets. The blankets were white cotton of high quality just a layer below a thick quilt which was the leading cause behind Neji waking covered in a thin sheen of sweat from head to toe. It was uncomfortable and most likely the reason for his waking. Summer was still raging out just outside of the manor; it was no season for such a thick blanket. Neji took note of it as he peeled back each layer, working his way to his feet from the tall bed. He then froze once he believed he heard something distant, a faint noise. He froze at the foot of the bed as his ears searched for its source. It was the rotary phone in the kitchen on the lower floor. He was surprised that he could hear it from such a distance. It rang and rang telling Neji that his grandfather had chosen to ignore it, so he did as well. Besides, he could never make it in time at such a long distance. He simply focused on finding his vanity items so he could run a bath after overheating throughout the night.

. . .

He listened as the faucet’s final droplets of water fell into the bath of water from where he sat soaking. He pressed his back against the tub and rested his eyes, keeping his hair mounted in a knot. Just as he had expected, yesterday’s thoughts began to present themselves all over again for the first time that morning since he had left his bed. It took him only minutes to relapse. He thought about Hinata and Hanabi. He then opened his eyes figuring that the darkness gave him too much leeway to plummet into the mindset of him having something to do with it all when he knew deep down that he didn’t. However, that did not stop him from regretting leaving the ringer on his second phone. It did not stop him from thinking he could have formulated better stories to tell Hiashi that could have prevented it all. It did not stop him from thinking he should have spoken up sooner, but it was just like him to feel as though things were his fault when they weren’t. He had always been seen as the eldest sibling that had much to look over and lead. Whenever he made a mistake, he tended to beat himself up over it more harshly than he knows the average person should. He used this argument to bring himself back up sometimes, but there were instances when the feeling of regret would resurface.

He sighed as he sunk deeper into the warm water to where his chin was just touching the surface. He then heard it again; it was the ringing from the kitchen phone. His grandfather must have gotten many telemarketers’ calls throughout the day, but he hadn’t yesterday or the day before. Still, the phone went unanswered, so Neji continued to indulge in the water’s warmth, sinking even deeper than before.

. . .

Neji entered the kitchen and looked into the sink to not find a single dish. The man must have skipped breakfast or cleaned his plate and stored it in the cabinet. He then continued to wander towards the dining room, which was empty as well, so he returned to the kitchen to pour a bowl of flavorless grains before adding milk. He reentered the extravagant dining room where he felt as though a simple bowl of oats did not fit the occasion. Still, he ate in silence as he looked around. It was silent and significantly cooler than what he found himself waking up in, he noted. The cooling of such a large home should be impossible to evenly distribute.

He finished the bowl and cleaned it before drying it to restock in the cabinet he had retrieved it, making it seem as though he had never eaten, himself. He then made his way to exit the room to begin his work when the phone sounded. Only, it was louder and clearer that time being right next to it. Neji furrowed his brows to the old ring before looking down the hall for his grandfather who seemed to never pick up. He then eyed the phone that continued to blare which made sense as to how he could hear it from the higher floor. Its ring was startling up close. He figured the volume was purposeful. Even this time Neji ignored the call, knowing it wasn’t likely that it was for him, but he then wondered if it could be someone he knew. He wondered if it could be Hiashi as he neared it. Finally, he grabbed it and raised it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Dad!”

Neji furrowed his brows, “Father?”

There was a silence as the two began to make connections.

“Neji?” The other line asked in a breathy surprise.

Neji frowned as he began to guess who it was.

“You’re at Dad’s,” the caller noted.

“I do not know where he is. Whatever it is you wish to tell him, you can tell me, and I will let him know the next time I see him,” Neji cut off.

“Wait, he’s not there?”

“I am unsure.”

“Well, the house is huge,” the man considered, “Are you okay?”

Neji remembered his disappearing act and failure to reach out when he was truly in any danger at all, “Yes. What do you need, Hizashi?”

“Gods,” he breathed, “One minute they tell me they have you and the next, the others have you and then you’re missing, and I don’t hear from you…”

“You don’t hear from me?” Neji echoed in disbelief, “Did you expect a casual checkup?” Neji mocked, growing shorter by the second.

“Well,” he stuttered, “no, but I was worried about you.”

“Yet you never tried to reach out,” Neji found himself digging further into the man more than he thought he cared. He simply found himself incapable of trusting the man. It was not that he wished for Hizashi’s care; he only doubted the depth of his words when they were gathered in Darui’s living room.

“Well, I was told you were taken, what use is there in calling you to see if they fed you?” Hizashi seemed to be rather comical at the worst times.

Neji did not respond.

“So, Dad isn’t there?” Hizashi asked after clearing his throat.

“I can look,” Neji said before lying the phone against the countertop, exiting the kitchen and taking towards the front door. He approached the large, heavy doors and opened them to find that the man’s car was not parked in its usual spot in the round about that wrapped around a water fountain of intricate design. Neji found it strange, but he stepped back into the house, shutting the door behind him. Once he made his way back to the kitchen, Neji raised the phone to his ear, “He is not here.”

“Are you sure?”

The question annoyed the boy, “Yes.”

“That was quick. I know the house is big, like huge…”

“Yes. I am sure. His car is not here; he is not here.”

“Oh.”

Neji looked to yet another photo in a frame that sat against one of the countertops, neighboring a bowl of fruit, “Why does he hate you so much?”

“Who?”

Neji shifted the phone to his other ear, “Grandfather.”

He heard a chuckle, “This?” He continued to chuckle the subject away until the silence Neji offered became discomforting, “Well, let’s just say he favored my brother over me.”

Neji continued to eye the photo of Hiashi’s youth, possibly age ten at most.

“And I grew sick of it, so I ran away and did stupid stuff.”

“Ran away?” Neji frowned as his eyes drifted to the rotary phone.

“Yeah, it wasn’t my proudest period. I got into all sorts of things while I was away from home. Think I might have been younger than you even. The thing is that while I was out there, I saw nothing that told me my old man was even looking for me. I saw nothing in the news or on the papers. I felt like missing dogs came up sooner. It only kept me going. I was on the streets for a while with someone who was in a similar situation. Being on the streets was the only reason why we took that suspicious job that turned out to be a henchman position for some mafia,” he snorted again exemplifying his poor situational judgement, “Something,” he continued with a sigh, “was wrong with me. Now, you have to deal with it, and I’m so, so sorry, Neji.”

Neji’s grip on the phone had tightened somewhere along the line of the man’s story.

“If I could take this all back if it meant saving you, I would in a heartbeat.”

“Where are you?” Neji asked abruptly.

“I’m where your grandfather and I agreed to meet earlier. We met and talked – if that’s what you wanna call it. He should’ve been home by now. Maybe he made a few stops?”

Neji’s face hardened. Everything related to this man had to crumble along with him it seemed. Neji looked through the kitchen entry way as he thought about the possibilities of his grandfather’s location. The elderly man rarely left his house according to Hiashi, so Neji could not imagine him suddenly making stops along the way back.

“Maybe his car broke down?” Hizashi guessed again before the sound of crunching sounded through the receiver.

The man took nothing seriously.

“How’s Hiashi and the girls?”

Neji’s irritation continued to build. The man seemed oblivious as to what all he had caused directly and indirectly, “I am in hiding because of you, and my sisters may be shortly because of what you call making a living.”

“Oh,” the man spoke quietly, “Why Hinata and…” He drew a blank.

“Hanabi,” Neji answered.

“Yeah.”

“Because they are related to you,” Neji narrowed his eyes, “Anyone related to you is in danger it seems.” He tried to keep his cool.

A long and regretful exhale filled the staticky silence, “I am so sorry it’s gotten this bad.”

“You should have known that it would the minute you thought doing some favors for no pay would be a good idea.”

“Neji, I care about you. I would die for you,” he said indifferently before another round of piercing crunches began, irking Neji’s every last, remaining nerve that hadn’t been set off just yet.

“Well, I hope that what you say holds truth if the time ever comes,” he said in one breath before hanging the phone up and leaving the kitchen for good.


	44. Chapter 44

It was midday and Neji had so far only gotten replies from five of his teachers. They were willing to adjust to his new situation while others dismissed him from work until he returned. He worked through the few things that were available on the site before looking through the venetian windows where the roundabout driveway was visible just through the opened curtains. The old-fashioned car had yet to return which concerned Neji more now than this morning. He saved his work before standing from the creaky seat, exiting through the office, and reentering the kitchen. It had been hours since he had decided he had enough of any phone conversation. Now, he was back thankful that it was there. He dialed his father and waited as the phone rang and rang and rang. There was no answer, only a voice mail. Neji froze as Hiashi’s voice continued to explain why he could not come to the phone at the moment. The anxious feeling that subsided earlier that morning strengthened. He hung the phone up before shutting his eyes. He froze with his hand wrapped tightly around the phone’s handle, wondering where to go from there. He looked to the drawers then through the kitchen entry before walking towards the kitchen drawers and retrieving the closest knife to him. He began to feel insecure about his safety as he redialed his father’s number. Memories of when he was held against the couch resurfaced. Still, there was no answer. Neji shook his head as his breath quickened. He looked to the large kitchen windows deciding that it gave too much of a visual of the inside of the house. He yanked them shut before nearing the phone again. He remembered the raging fire, scorching the massive university building. There was no answer. His heart was racing now as he stood in the dimmed room alone, vulnerable to anyone who could approach from all angles due to the room’s many openings. He sealed his eyes tightly before the phone’s loud ring pierced through his ears, further fraying his already unsettled nerves. He first jumped then answered it with a quickness.

“Hello?” Neji asked as he looked all around.

“Neji? Were you the one calling back to back? I was in a meeting and excused myself so I could answer your repetitive calls, is it an emergency?” Hiashi questioned.

“I do not know where Grandfather is. He left yesterday and is still gone,” he explained quickly.

“What?”

“I don’t know where he is,” Neji reiterated briefly before he heard a single step approach from behind. He spun quickly, holding the knife out at the pursuer only for it to be his grandfather standing stiffly, eyeing him in shock.

“What are you doing?” The elderly man asked.

“Is that him, Neji?” Hiashi questioned through the phone.

“Nothing, never mind, I’m sorry to interrupt your work,” the younger male apologized before turning his back to the elder and hanging the phone up. He closed his eyes and exhaled to steady himself. He listened as his grandfather opened the curtains to restore the sunny feeling that he preferred in all of his rooms. Neji stood before the phone with no desire to face his grandfather who sounded as though he had stopped all motion. “I thought that…”

“Put the knife away.”

Neji did as told immediately before looking to the elder.

“Make dinner,” the man ordered before leaving without further instruction.

Neji only stood cluelessly. He had no special skills or knowledge in the culinary aspect, “Grandfather?”

The man reappeared in the entry.

“Where did you go for so long?” Neji asked reluctantly.

The old man only frowned to the boy as he did quite often. It was nothing knew, but each frown told him something different as if they came in different tones. The one he gave now told that Neji should not have the audacity to ask such a thing seeing as none of it should have been his concern. Neji picked up on the silent message and lowered his gaze. The phone then rang again. His grandfather answered it since he just so happened to be nearby that time. Neji could see why he would rarely answer the phone when they used to call him on his own birthday. The man allowed the caller to speak for some moments before he looked to Neji.

“Leave,” he ordered coldly. Neji nodded and left the man to hold the conversation. Neji was sure the caller was Hizashi seeing if his father had returned yet, so his sudden shoo was nothing too suspicious.

There was a knocking at the front door. It was a couple of polite taps, but due to it being unexpected, it was rather ominous. Neji turned towards it from down the hall and started towards the front when he heard the rotary phone being slammed and rushed footsteps racing from the kitchen area. Before Neji could turn, his grandfather gripped the hook of his arm and lead him down the hall in a rushed manner, away from the knocking. More taps sounded against the wood but grew quiet with distance as the elderly man – his speed and strength pushing his age – opened the door to the basement, placing Neji before him.

“Stay down here,” he ordered before shutting the door and locking it. Neji then heard something heavy scraping against the floor that came to a stop just outside of the basement door. Everything was happening rather quickly without a single explanation to give Neji any sort of direction.

“Grandfather?” He called to the other side.

“Do not make noise,” the man’s voice was muffled by the thick wood that could serve as a wall itself. Soon enough, Neji heard his steps distance themselves from where he had left the boy clueless and alarmed. Now Neji was left in the pitch-black dark basement, alone. He felt around for a light switch. His hand blindly ran the wall until he found a switch which illuminated the room just to the bottom of the wooden steps. Naturally, he wandered down the steep staircase and towards the light. It was the only thing that seemed to give him any sort of insight on his new situation. He found himself in what appeared to be a storage room. He looked around nervously for a place to hide in the case that the visitors came looking for him. He knew they had not been invited but would insist on letting themselves in quite heavily. Finally, he located a large portrait that leaned against the wall. It was of two boys, two identical boys. One seemed to smile more than the other, but they were twins unmistakably. They were the Hyuga twins that had been separated seemingly since birth. The division was made clear even in the portrait they shared. It was covered in dust, understandably so. Still, it caught Neji’s undivided attention as he neared it. It was the most proof that he had been offered of Hizashi’s relatedness yet apart from his face being that of Hiashi’s. It was still surreal to see it right there, leaning against the wall of his grandfather’s basement. Hizashi Hyuga. He looked to the young boy’s genuine smile. Though the same colors had been used for either boy, Hizashi seemed to be more alive, his eyes were brighter, more mischievous. Then, something could be heard smashing overhead. The sound was dull due him being on a lower floor, but it proved just how the situation would and had escalated. Luckily, the painting faced the stairs, hiding whatever may be behind it. It was the Hyuga’s best bet. So, he located a dusty baseball bat which he assumed to be Hiashi’s and stuffed himself behind the large painting as more shifted overhead.

He could faintly hear voices but could not make out the context. He was stiff and barely breathed as if his own breathing could worsen the situation for the both of them somehow, as if his breathing would make the voices all the more undetectable. He shut his eyes and tried his hardest to hear what went on over his head, but the ceiling’s height created even more distance between him, his grandfather and whoever had entered. After some minutes Neji could tell that there was more then one visitor. There might have been at least two. Suddenly, it was silent. There were no more voices, the only sound was of two people walking towards the front of the house. Neji assumed they were finally taking their leave, so he waited for his grandfather to unlock the basement door and say nothing of what had happened as he typically would. Still, with the unknown visitors gone, Neji still felt rather tense. He was hesitant to rise from the cover of the painting, so he eased his way out cautiously, never dropping the bat. He walked towards the center of the storage area where the light was the brightest. He then stared up the many steep stairs that traveled so high that they began to darken after such a distance where the basement light could not reach. The only light at the top was of the higher floor’s brightness that seeped through the cracks of the doorframe though now dulled due to whatever the elderly man had shoved in its path. He knew the basement door was not too far from the front of the house, so he figured his grandfather should have been there by now. He should have been able to at least hear the man coming. Perhaps he was having trouble shoving the large furniture more than when he placed it. Neji only stared to the door that led to the higher floor and waited.

. . .

He sat next to the bat against the wall as he continued to face the tall staircase. It had been tens of minutes he was sure, but he remembered what his grandfather had said. He told him to make no noise, so he obeyed and waited patiently. Only now, the time that was lapsing did not seem fitting for what all took place. Neji stood and glanced to the high door once more before climbing the steps. He knocked lightly.

“Grandfather?” He called quietly. He then waited for an answer only for silence. He knocked again, “Grandfather?” He was louder that time. He then pressed his ear against the door. If he could not hear anything from there, then the guests were sure to have left unless they found reason to go upstairs. Again, Neji found himself just as clueless as before. It was an unfavorable way to be. He then turned and looked down the steps figuring there was nothing else to do but wait, so he began the climb back down.

Once he reached the bottom, he surveyed the room more than he was able to do his first trip down when he was more preoccupied with finding somewhere to be scarce. He decided to travel to the left side of the room since he had spent most of his time on the right. There were boxes and white sheets that covered old furniture from a thick collection of dust. He lifted one sheet to find a dismantled bed frame. It seemed to be that of a twin bed set. Next to it, in a plastic bag was a thick, navy blue quilt which he supposed went with the bed set. It had to have belonged to one of the Hyuga twins but given what Neji had seen in his stay here, it most likely had belonged to Hizashi before he ran away. He remembered passing by a room that had a single twin bed filled with furniture to take up the space that the other bed might have at one point. The room had a desk, drawers, and a wardrobe along with a living room seat and coffee table. It was not far from being its own apartment due to there being a restroom that led right into the room.

Neji frowned at the scratches against the old wood that was hidden under the blank sheet. The markings were from Hizashi’s youth he could tell. The shine seemed to be peeling off as well which was the opposite of the one Neji had seen upstairs. After looking for some time, Neji ran his hand over the surface. His fingers came in contact with a rather bumpy section. He looked closely to find a pattern. It was writing that spelled out his name, Hizashi Hyuga. Then, again next to it, Hizashi Hyuga, then again and again and again until Neji reached a section of what seemed to be tally marks. There was a good bit of them. Neji would make the amount out better had the man drawn them correctly. It seemed as though back then, Hizashi hadn’t a clue of how the fifth always crossed over the other four before beginning a new grouping of tallies. Neji backed away and lowered the sheet before looking back to the stairs worriedly.

“Grandfather?” He called as he knocked on the door. He had dropped all attempts at being scarce or discreet. He continued to knock and knock and knock as he continued to call the man’s name. “Grandfather?” He knocked a few more times before he sat down at the top of the stairs. He was worried now. He turned to stare at the baseball bat he left against the wall at the bottom of the steps before he lowered himself to sit. If something had happened to the man, Neji should have heard it if he heard the voices. If there was a gun shot, it would have been loud enough to make him jump, he was sure. If they had choked him out, he would have heard a struggle. If they had hit his head, he would have heard the man’s body fall against the floor, but there was nothing. The talking only ceased and two pairs of feet had left the building. Or so, he counted two pairs. Could there have been three? Could they have taken him? Perhaps the man was leaving him in the basement deliberately since he could not even stand to look to his grandson during dinner. He couldn’t bare to spend too much time around Neji nor could he look him in the eye for long. He was distant with the boy for a reason Neji did not understand. He did ask his father one day if it was because of who he was which Hiashi denied wholeheartedly. His words were sincere, and the elderly man did not ever seem to flinch when the topic arose, so Neji supposed it could have been true. Still, there was nothing else Neji had done to make the man treat him so differently compared to his other grandchildren. It always confused him as a boy, but as he thought, a new consideration rose to the top. I could have never been Neji; it could have been Hizashi. Perhaps the man despised any offspring of his least favorite son as much as he already had distaste towards his own. Neji’s confusion ceased at once. It had to have been Hizashi. Again, it was Hizashi. All of these years he thought it was himself who was to blame for his grandfather’s lack of warmth towards him. Neji’s rageful expression fell to that of exhaust. He folded his arms and lied his head in the fold supported by his knees. He only wanted for the man’s effect to remove itself from disrupting all that he was.


	45. Chapter 45

Neji cursed the door that only locked from the outside. The door was heavy alone, but the added furniture made it impossible to get through from behind. He lied on the floor against the blue quilt that he removed from its plastic the previous day. He did not move and had not moved for a while. He only lied as he stared to the top of the steps from the depths of the basement. The sun would come and go over the time that had passed. Sometimes light would just barely shed through the door’s sides, and other times there would be nothing which allowed him to track the time. He had counted at least three days total. He was hungry and had been forgotten it seemed. He spent hours trying to break through the door, but the small amount of space at the top of the steps gave him no room to run towards the opening in hopes of barging it down. Over time, his energy and strength were depleted and all he could do was sit or lie down to minimize his discomfort and hunger pains. For the hundredth time he shut his eyes, deciding that all he could do was sleep when he had no energy to spend which had become quite often.

There were footsteps. He opened his eyes no longer caring who it was. He did not care if it were the Senju or the men who held him hostage in his own living room. He knew anything could be better than rotting below ground level where no one could hear. He shakily lifted his head as the newcomer let out a yell of terror followed by scattered curses that boomed through the walls of every floor. It was also familiar in volume. It was his father. It was Hiashi. Neji tried to stand only to wobble back against the blanket. He heard the steps rush towards where the kitchen was. It was closer to the basement door. From the few words the boy could pick up, Hiashi was calling a medic. It was all he could do. Then, the man called for him. Neji heard his name being yelled repeatedly. The Hyuga tried to make it to the stairs as well as he could, barely leaving the ground throughout the short distance. He fell his final time right at the bottom stair. The man continued to call his name overhead, but his voice became distant telling Neji he began to wander elsewhere.

Come back.

“Father!” He called with all of the strength he had. Still, he could no longer hear the man’s movements. Neji swallowed thickly to coat his dried throat before opening his mouth again, “Father!” He yelled louder. There was silence. Neji dropped his head, feeling weaker than before.

“Neji?!”

The boy lifted his head to look up at the door that seemed further than ever, “Father!”

“Neji, keep calling so I can find you!”

Neji worked to an uneven stand, clinging to the railing for the bulk of his support, “Father!”

“Where are you, Neji?!”

“Basement!” He held his stomach as he leaned fully against the railing. He listened to the man walk back towards him. He was relieved. He then heard scraping, the same scraping he heard when he was first locked in the cellar. He listened to the locks clink one by one before the door opened, flooding the higher portion of the staircase with daylight that stung Neji’s eyes.

“Oh, Neji,” Hiashi breathed pitifully as he rushed down the steps. He wrapped the boy’s arm around his own shoulders as he aided him up the stairs, “Keep hold of the railing,” he said as they worked slowly towards the surface.

. . .

“And you didn’t see anything because you were locked in the basement?” The interrogator questioned. He sat across from Neji in the boxy room that was rather dark to eliminate all distractions.

“Yes,” Neji confirmed numbly.

He remembered Hiashi letting him lie against the hardwood floor of the hallway as the man rushed to get something from the kitchen. Hiashi returned with fruit juice as a start before telling him they would get something else along the way so long as they left the house right at that moment. As they passed the front, however, Hiashi covered Neji’s eyes telling him not to look. He was later told on the way to the station that his grandfather had been shot and Hiashi was the one to find him in a chair with a bullet through his head.

It was odd, the emotional impact it had even though Neji had never been close to the man. He had always been a mystery to Neji, but he still felt the loss hit him deeply, deeper than he had ever imagined the man’s passing would in the past. Now he sat in a police station being asked question after question as if he were the culprit. He knew the ones who were responsible would not even set foot into this room let alone be reprimanded. A feeling of bitterness arose as the questioner continued performing his job. What he asked seemed to become repetitive after some minutes though Neji knew he was only trying to get the story straight.

“My grandfather got a call and told me to leave him. I left him before I heard a knock at the front door. I walked towards it when my grandfather grabbed my arm and took me to the basement where he locked me there alone. He then pushed a heavy shelf in front of the door to make sure I never left. He told me to stay quiet, so I did. I walked down the steps, grabbed a baseball bat and hid. I heard something break. My father told me it was my grandmother’s urn. I did not see it because once my father found me, he rushed me out of the house, shielding my eyes. Before that, I was stuck in the basement for at least three days without food or water. I did not see anything. I did not hear the shot or hear any parts of their conversation. I know nothing,” Neji finalized with an impatient stare, “That is what happened and that is all I know.”

The interrogator stared to Neji under the single bright light. The Hyuga sat stiffly. He felt anger of which he could not let go. They were asking the wrong people. He knew nothing nor did his father. If anything, they might have a guess of which organization delivered the shot, but for what reason neither of them had a clue. From what gun they hadn’t a clue. From whom they could not be certain. For these reasons, the two Hyuga knew nothing.

“Alright. Thank you,” the worker concluded their session, jotting in his notepad before standing. Neji finally dropped his resentful stare from the stranger. He gazed blankly at the table knowing he should not take it out on the man who was only doing his job. That is, if the police force weren’t compromised by the Senju’s partners. He heard the door creak open, “You can go now.”

Neji looked through the door to find his father waiting against the wall just on the other side. Hiashi then stood and motioned for Neji to come with.

. . .

Hiashi held Hanabi while Neji held Hinata as the two girls cried over the news. The two males only stared blankly as all four of them sat on the couch on the rather gloomy day apart from the sun that had continued to shine brightly as they all mourned. Now, it was nightfall, and neither of the girls understood the sudden death of their grandfather. All they knew was that they did not visit the man nearly enough before his passing. Now, they held regret with him as they cried into the arms of the two that held them closely.

“We should go to sleep,” Hiashi said softly as Hanabi nodded in his hold. She sniffled as she rubbed her eyes before she stood and made for the steps. Neji rubbed Hinata’s back who seemed to take a bit longer than her younger sister to regroup enough to stand. Neji looked to Hiashi who only stared to his daughter. Finally, she leaned away from Neji, keeping her head lowered. She stood from the couch and took after her younger sister and headed to her room for the night leaving the two males to share a heavy silence in which both knew more than just what was on the surface.

“Is it true that you heard nothing of their conversation?” Hiashi asked.

“Yes.”

Neji could not help but feel as though the man doubted his word, but it was all he could say. Hiashi rubbed a hand down his worn face and took his leave in order to let out his own sorrows at long last having made sure everyone else was settled. Neji watched the man leave before looking to a plant that sat still against the coffee table. There was nowhere left to go. Even after relocating, they found them. There was no telling how much distance the groups covered but they seemed to spread across lands upon lands. Hiashi could not ship them off to any other family and risk their safety after what had happened to their grandfather. He looked to the stair railing before shutting his eyes figuring he might as well lie down for the night as well given that there was nothing else left to do but mourn, dwell, and regret.

. . .

He lied in his bed. He did not bother to change his clothes or unpack. He left the luggage in Hiashi’s car without a second thought. He lied on his side and watched his window. Even after changing his surroundings, the same feelings he tried to leave on the couch had followed him. He had not cried over the death of his grandfather. He found that odd even if the man did not treat him kindly. He had known the man and he was family above all else. He had taken Neji in after Hiashi expressed his concerns. His grandfather took him in without objection early that morning without even receiving a call to inform him ahead of time of Hiashi’s sudden arrival. Though he acted cold towards Neji, he had risked his own life to hide Neji in the end. He had saved him by locking him in the basement. The man did not expect to not be able to free Neji once the visitation was over. Still, he had saved Neji. He did not hesitate to make sure the boy was safe before parting ways with him. He moved the heavy shelf to make sure of it though Neji knew the task was hard on the man given his age.

The Hyuga begun to feel a tightness in his chest as a pained frown formed. The visual of his window became blurry as tears formed finally in remembrance of his grandfather who was only like his son. He was cold on the exterior which made it hard for those around him to realize that he did in fact care for them strongly. Neji only wished he could have recognized it for what it was years ago when he decided the man only hated him. The boy began to distance himself from the elderly man deciding that he was doing the both of them a favor during their visits. Still, the man would eye him from a distance without a word. It looked so much like a disapproving frown that he never questioned. Neji only decided that the elder cared nothing for him, so he cared nothing for the man. He was wrong, however it now seemed. Though he might have been less fond of Neji than his sisters, he did have room for the boy somewhere in the end. His grandfather might not have even known he did until he took a bullet for the boy. Neji shut his eyes as the tears rolled towards the sheets. He wiped his eyes and turned onto his back, trying to keep too many more from falling.

. . .

It was a hot, summer day of which the sun’s heat beat down relentlessly as the summer’s bugs sang a sharp tune. Not even the air spared the family a gust of wind while they all stood watching as the man’s casket was lowered into the ground. Hinata continued to cry next to Neji as Hanabi stood still. The younger had cried herself until she was empty, devoid of emotion similar to Neji. Instead, rather than crying himself empty, Neji was only tired from the night before and Hiashi stood to the other side of him, just as silent. Suddenly, Neji felt the man leave his side in a rush. He looked to where he was headed to find Hizashi in the far distance. He was too far for anyone to make out his face, but Neji recognized his long hair and Hiashi headed towards him like a bullet all while just walking alone. Neji seemed to be the only one keeping an eye on Hiashi as he approached his brother, delivering a hard punch that knocked the smaller of the two to the ground. Hizashi struggled to roll over and face Hiashi who held his fist, threatening another if the man didn’t get lost. So, Hizashi struggled to a stand before wrapping his arms around himself and leaving the rest of the Hyuga family to mourn in peace. The way he walked unconfidently reminded Neji of himself. He would do the same thing in defense; he would simply cross his arms as some sort of mockery of a hold. Neji frowned and watched Hiashi straighten his own jacket before walking back to the rest of the extended family as though he had not struck the brother that they had shunned years ago, banishing him from ever returning once again.

Neji looked past Hiashi to eye the mess of a man that faded in the distance. He caught Hizashi turn once more, but he did not look to his brother. He looked to Neji. Although he was too far for the boy to even see the whites of his eyes, Neji could tell he was looking right at him. He wanted nothing more than for the man to continue his step away from the burial grounds. His very presence was disrespectful to his deceased father. Neji lowered his head and watched the dirt before looking back up to see that Hizashi had gotten the hint, for once, and continued towards the gate without falter. Neji only hoped and prayed that it would be the last time he would see the man who had corrupted their lives. He hoped that the death and pain he had caused would be hint enough to the dense man that he was not needed nor wanted anywhere near the family for the rest of his days.


	46. Chapter 46

Neji exited the kitchen with a glass of water in hand as he headed towards his room when he looked in the direction of Hiashi’s office. It had been days since the incident and the man had been rather silent. He ordered them to stay home from school under the guise that they needed time to grieve but Neji knew that it was out of precaution. He walked towards the office and began to knock when he caught sight of the man through the glass panes of the door.

Hiashi rested his forehead against his hands which fingers sat raked in his disheveled hair. His laptop was shut, a sign that he had not begun his work for the day or any other days after his father’s death Neji noticed. He looked as though we weren’t breathing. The weight of everything seemed to bear down on him so heavily that he could not move. Neji eased the door open and stepped in just halfway. Still, Hiashi had not moved. Neji entered fully and shut the door behind him before holding the glass with both hands. He stared to the man silently. He, too, felt stiff upon entering still he stepped forward slowly before stopping unsure if Hiashi wanted him there or not. He then heard the man sniff before sitting back in his office chair to look at the boy.

“Neji,” he greeted trying his best to adopt his typical composure.

“I do not need anything,” the boy assured.

Hiashi looked to his desk and nodded. The loss would hit his father the hardest naturally, so Neji knew it would take the man more time to come back from it. “Neji,” he spoke again.

“Yes?” Neji stopped himself from making his way out at the sound of his name.

“What all do you know?” Hiashi asked, keeping his head raised but eyes lowered.

The younger turned to face the man fully and thought before speaking, “Regarding what?”

“About the people that told you to commit those crimes through text.”

Neji’s lips were sealed. He figured there was no longer any point in hiding anything from the man. The only one who had told him to keep quiet was Hizashi from the beginning. The ones who ordered him to engage in illegal activity only told him not to tell police, but he was sure Hiashi had already tried and failed. He decided to speak, “There are two groups. They have a partnership that is being tested which resulted in a war between the two. We were caught in the middle. We, being our family, Shikamaru included.”

Hiashi looked to the boy who stood in the center of the room. His eyes were a tint of red from lack of sleep combined with brief and faint cries that went unnoticed by those closest to him.

“They were the reason behind my absences. I first met them behind a gas station. TenTen was driving me home when I saw that Shikamaru was surrounded behind a gas station. I foolishly went after him only to be chased off and told not to notify police; they would do no good. Sometime after that, I was home. It was late and I had forgotten to take out the trash, so I did it in the dark. Men snuck in the house and held me down, telling me that I had to do their work or else something bad would happen,” Neji explained, keeping his gaze to his father’s desk. He was tired of holding each secret only to be wrongfully punished for it later down the line.

Hiashi’s eyes widened.

“I did their work. Shikamaru did their work. When he was free from it, he would help me, and I would help him.”

“Gods,” his father sighed into his hand. Neji could feel that the man was going to scold him, lecture him into telling him these things, shaming him for the way he went about it, but Neji did not let him get the chance before he continued.

“I know about Hizashi.”

Hiashi lowered his hand and stared to his son in shock.

“He was the reason I snuck out that night. He told me to meet him at the park and I did not recognize the number, so I thought it was one of the groups that would bring harm to you if I did not listen, so I went.”

Hiashi’s look of shock began to shape into something more harsh.

“He told me that there was no way to escape what the men were making us do, so he proposed that we split the work to where I did the easier tasks while he did the more grotesque ones,” Neji continued to speak quickly in hopes of explaining everything in a way that would leave Hiashi no room to make Neji the one at fault, “Then he told me he was your brother. He told me he was my father,” this was where he paused. The grip on his cup had tightened as he grew more fearful of the outcome or of Hiashi’s reaction. It was silent, so he carried on, “but I did not believe him. I ran home, you picked me up. I denied that he was my father for days, but his stories were so believable that I…”

“He is,” Hiashi answered, “He is your father, but he is no brother of mine.”

Neji looked up to meet Hiashi’s eyes, “He is not my father.”

They held each other’s stares for moments on end, reaching an understanding that had taken either of the two to come to terms with. Hiashi’s gaze softened at Neji’s words as he nodded in understanding, relieved that Neji did not hate him for holding something from him for so many years.

“You were young,” Hiashi began.

“I know. I was told,” Neji did not want the man to feel as though he had to relive everything, not right after the news and loss of his father. Everything was finally being released and left into the air for them to decide how to go from there.

Hiashi looked away, “Shikamaru,” he said suddenly.

Neji’s eyes widened at the mention of the boy through the somber tone.

He finally admitted to himself that the Nara was not the reason behind his son’s reckless and unpredictable behavior. Shikamaru had been through the same thing as Neji because of his own father all the same. He was a victim just like Neji, only he was alone in that house day after day. He felt like a fool for seeing it any other way. There was only so much a teen could stir up on his own, and everything they were facing was not one of those things.

“Shikamaru?” Neji asked.

Hiashi shook his head, “Nothing.”

Neji furrowed his brows, keeping his eyes on the man waiting for further explanation. He got none, “Did something happen?” He guessed.

“No. I was speaking to your friends that paid us a visit while you were gone. They wanted to know if you were alright. I told them you were staying with your grandfather for a bit. One of them spoke of the Nara and I asked them what they meant by it. Your friend, the blond girl, she said that Shikamaru had not been back to school for some days still, that he had been gone for about as long as you and they assumed that you two had ran off. Neither of you were answering your phones during the camping trip, then. I suppose you going to your grandfather’s without a phone shortly after did raise concerns. I assured them that you were fine, but I could not speak on the Nara,” the man mumbled into his hand.

Neji spaced as he listened.

“I’m sorry,” Hiashi said, regaining the boy’s attention, “I’m unenrolling you from school. You and your sisters will take virtual classes just in case we have to leave.”

“Leave?”

“Move, Neji,” the man sighed heavily.

“When?” Neji frowned at the suddenness of the news.

“As soon as we can,” he answered before standing.

“That did not work before,” Neji said boldly to his father’s back.

Hiashi stopped in his tracks which made the boy’s blood run cold, “Well it will give us more time between now and when your donor finally gets us all killed like his own father,” he said before continuing through the office.

. . .

There was a knock at the door that shook only Neji and Hiashi as the girls continued to eat their breakfast, oblivious to the secrets that shaped their very lives.

“I’ll get it,” Hiashi said casually, wiping his hands of the salad he was tossing before grabbing a knife. Neji watched the man disappear from the kitchen before looking back to the slice of toast he was topping with fruit preserves. His hand shook remembering the door from his grandfather’s home at the far end of the hall that was lined by thick wood. Neji dropped the bread to his plate before he gripped the knife tightly, following behind his father quietly. Once he reached the foyer, he heard a familiar voice.

“Yes sir,” Itachi Uchiha.

Hiashi stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

Neji only watched the door breathlessly. He then walked to his father’s office to peer through the shut blinds. He lifted a single blind to watch the bit he could see from the window adjacent to the front doorstep. He could really only see a portion of Itachi and none of Hiashi. He could not make out what they were saying, but Neji figured that he was safe. The two were in broad daylight and the Uchiha had saved him from Shizune and her men along with a stranger he had never come across. Neji hated to blindly trust him because he knew how the Senju turned out to have ulterior motives than simply protecting them from their partners. It was the prime reminder to never lie trust in anyone until there were no longer questions about them that had yet to be answered. He closed the blinds to step away when he heard the door open.

“Neji,” Hiashi called.

. . .

Once again, Neji was lifting luggage from a car in order to settle down in another person’s home only this time he was not related to the homeowner. Itachi unlocked his door and allowed the Hyuga in before assisting with the girls’ luggage. Neji sat his own aside before taking his sisters’ bags from Itachi in order to help the move. The Hyuga began down the hall when he saw a certain Nara emerge from one of the rooms along the wall. They locked eyes as Shikamaru lowered the carbonated drink from his lips. He covered his mouth with his oversized sleeve to stifle a burp.

“Hey?” He greeted. He did not expect to see any Hyuga that day. Itachi must not have ran the move by him before it was in full swing.

“I will organize your room,” Itachi informed before leaving the three guests to attend to the task.

“Have you been here all this time?” Neji asked as the Nara neared him.

“Thought you were dead,” the Nara explained, “Yeah, I’ve been here, where have you been? You haven’t answered in days.”

Hinata lowered her head before continuing to the back of the house followed by Hanabi who wished to comfort her elder sister. Shikamaru was confused the girls’ reactions to the question.

“My grandfather’s,” Neji answered quietly, “They killed him.”

Shikamaru looked back to the Hyuga because it was all he could do. He hadn’t expected any of them to be killed so soon if at all. It shifted his idea of the men who claimed to be holding guns to their heads at all times. With what had happened to Neji’s grandfather, the metaphorical firearms seemed to solidify. “I’m…” he began an apology.

“So, we will be staying here now. I do not know for how long,” he cut the Nara off. He had gotten enough of the apologies after people found out he was in the house when it happened, “My father is enrolling us into computerized classes.”

“Well, at least you’ll be schooling someway. I just haven’t done anything in weeks,” he dropped his free hand into his pocket. He looked as though it were weighing on him for a bit before his typical demeanor returned, “I’m guessing you guys’ll be shacked up in this one room towards the back. He has an air mattress,” Shikamaru began as he turned to make his way to the back. Neji followed, “He told me the use of the room changes seasonally. Really though, it just holds stuff they don’t want to trip over. I stayed in it for a while before I just started using the pull-out couch in the living room.”

“Is there something wrong with the room?” Neji asked.

“No, it just doesn’t have any windows for some reason. It’s like they built the house and added another room last minute or something,” he shrugged and turned to face the Hyuga once they reached the room. He watched Neji who looked into the dark storage unit. He then looked back to the Nara who suddenly seemed distant.

“What’s wrong?” Neji asked.

The Nara shook his head, dismissing Neji’s concern. He then placed a hand on the Hyuga’s shoulder delivering a couple of friendly pats, “Even with everything we’re under, it’s good to know you aren’t dead somewhere,” he said with his typical laid-back smile.


	47. Chapter 47

There was a gentle tapping at the door of the pitch-black room. Neji sat his head up and followed his way to the slivers of light that slipped through the door. He felt around as cautiously as he could before accidentally wedging his foot underneath something and falling.

“Neji!” Hanabi groaned.

The male then stood and finally reached the door before opening it to a painfully bright hallway revealing Izumi who smiled just as warmly as the sun’s illumination.

“Good afternoon, I just wanted to make sure you all were alright,” she said, “None of you have left your room all day. I guess the no windows thing is the reason Shikamaru left the room,” she figured peering over Neji’s shoulder.

“Can you close the door?” Hanabi complained tossing the blanket over her head.

. . .

It turned out that many of their days would be spent watching television or playing a game console that Itachi had purchased just for the sake of their entertainment which was a kind gesture Neji would admit, but after so long he understood that Itachi was somehow involved with one of the groups that had killed his grandfather. The Uchiha just might have been one of the good guys who weren’t a part of it just to cause despair. Rather, he must have been one of the many who found themselves trapped which made the alleged suicide of Shisui all the more suspicious. Neji had spoken about it to Shikamaru and both doubted Shisui had thrown himself from the top of the building; he had been forced over the edge they were sure. The detail of him missing his eyes made the story seem to be even more of a lie constructed by false investigators. It was a tragedy that went unsolved and may never be truly solved as long as the groups had reign over the local police.

“So, he knows?” Shikamaru asked as he sat next to Neji in the attic. Due to having so little space to wander, boredom and curiosity lured them to the space. It was hot, but they carried an electric fan with them along with a number of lights to make the space less uninviting. It was nice having a floor alone without the commotion of the games and voices below. They could still be heard, but they were easier to drown out.

“He does,” Neji answered. Hiashi knew about Hizashi and everything he and Shikamaru had been through over the few weeks. “He is currently looking for a home out of town.”

“Really?”

Neji nodded, “I’m assuming he is trying to sell the house now. I believe we will be here as long as it takes to sell it.”

Shikamaru sighed, “I get it. There’s too much going on here for you guys to stay.”

“It is all because of Hizashi,” Neji said distantly.

Shikamaru stared to the electric fan as the Hyuga got a number of things off his chest.

Neji remembered the man having the nerve to show his face at the funeral when he was the direct cause of the event. He had been warned for years to find a way out of his practice, but he never did leading his father to be shot between his eyes in his own home, in the same house of which they were raised. “I never want to see him again.”

Shikamaru understood, “I’m sorry I forced it.”

“You forced nothing. I agreed to meet with Hizashi that day in Darui’s home. I orchestrated it.”

Shikamaru sat up from where he was lying next to the Hyuga, “He shouldn’t show up after that.”

“He is incredibly dense; it would not surprise me if I saw him tomorrow,” Neji said.

Shikamaru looked to the floorboards beneath them as he began to remove his jacket of a flannel. The fan was effective, but not enough to where he could stay wrapped in his typical layers.

Embarrassment arose as Neji realized he had only been speaking of himself, “How is she?”

“Who?” Shikamaru asked, lying back down.

“The dancer. Is she still here?”

“Oh, yeah, she just never leaves her room,” Shikamaru said tossing the jacket to the side and leaning back against his hands.

Neji nodded in understanding before dropping his gaze. He then lowered himself back until he lied right next to the boy. He looked to Shikamaru whose eyes were shut as the cool air wafted over their bodies, “Have you heard from your father?”

Shikamaru shook his head silently. It was solemn as though if he were to answer verbally, he would lead on that the man’s absence stung him more than he’d like.

“I’m sorry,” Neji apologized quietly.

“Whatever he did, he did it to himself. I warned him when I was a kid, and he didn’t listen.”

Neji knew the boy would still give a similar answer as he did before. It was one that would tell strangers that he didn’t care, that there was nothing to worry about because he was so widely known to be carefree, but the boy had to miss his father. His father seemed to be all he had.

“Are you not worried?” Neji asked.

“Honestly,” Shikamaru sighed, “I keep telling myself that he’s just running around the clock on his trucking trips ‘cause it helps. I’m seventy percent sure he’s dead in a ditch somewhere so the lies keep me from freaking out. The plan was to just keep them up until I was proven wrong, but I think time is proving me wrong already,” his tone was steady and unconcerned.

Neji frowned at the boy’s wording, however. It was disheartening to not hear from his father for such an extended period of time. The man had not been seen since Neji visited that café with Hiashi all that time ago. The news back then might have restored Shikamaru’s hope, but given what they’re dealing with, the elder Nara could quite possibly either be in impossible situation if not dead. He didn’t know what to say to the boy after he had stilled the dusty air just by being honest with himself for once.

“Were you close to your grandfather?” Shikamaru asked suddenly as he turned on his side to face the Hyuga. He propped his head up with a hand and watched Neji through lazy eyes.

“Well, no, not exactly. He did not like me.”

“Well, shit,” the Nara mumbled before allowing his head to fall back against the floor as if his arm had given out.

Neji nodded in agreement.

“You sure?” Shikamaru asked.

After his act of bravery, “No,” the Hyuga answered. He no longer wished to speak of death.

“So, what now?” Shikamaru asked.

“I wait for my father to sell the house so we can move far away from here,” Neji responded, watching as the Nara’s smile faltered just slightly. “What about you?”

“I don’t know. Itachi let me stay here, but I’m thinking I might move back with my mom just to get away, but I don’t want to bring danger to her, so I might just stay here honestly,” he answered before shutting his eyes.

“I understand,” Neji said, facing the ceiling over them. Silence passed again.

“What do you wanna do?” Shikamaru asked. “We could go back and hang with the others downstairs. It sounds like your sister is done with the TV; we could watch something if you want. We don’t have a lot of movies left to watch, but there might be something on cable,” the Nara suggested.

Neji shook his head, “I would like to stay here.”

“That’s cool too,” the younger said before joining Neji in watching the wooden structure of the roof overhead.

. . .

The heat woke Neji from the unplanned nap. He realized that the attic had grown silent; the fan had gone out allowing the heat to accumulate as they slept. He shook Shikamaru’s shoulder, wondering how the boy could sleep through the blanket of high temperatures. A single loud snore ripped through the Nara before he opened his eyes. He stretched and looked around cluelessly. The small window that gave sight of the street was nearly undetectable because the sun had fallen.

“Shit, it’s hot,” he realized aloud, “How long have we been out?”

“I am unsure,” Neji said as he stood and collected the lanterns and portable fan.

The two made their way down the ladder to the lower, cooler level of the house. It was like a breath of fresh air that actually filled their lungs as opposed to what felt like thick steam that blocked their air ways. Shikamaru picked the ladder back up and shut the attic’s opening before taking towards the kitchen followed by the Hyuga. Neji stopped by the living room to drop off the items in his hands before meeting the Nara who dug through the freezer looking for something that would cool him down. He located a carton of ice cream and shut the freezer drawer before locating the silverware. He retrieved a spoon from the one closest to the sink before opening the ice cream lid and digging the spoon right in.

“Should you not get a bowl instead of eating straight from the container?” Neji asked.

“There’s barely any left; I was just gonna eat it.”

Neji raised a brow.

“Look,” the Nara showed the tub to Neji, revealing only a corner that would amount to four tablespoons. Shikamaru then stood away from the counter and reopened the drawer to get another spoon. He handed it to Neji, “Help me out.”

Neji stared to him before taking the spoon. Shikamaru placed the carton on the counter and stepped to the side so they could share more easily. The Nara then looked through the window over the kitchen sink. He watched the stars and listened as cars zoomed through the more urban part of town that was a ways away from them, but the echoes of the city still resonated through the outskirts. Itachi’s home just so happened to be nearer to the city than either of their homes, so the volume of the bustling life day and night was a bit easier to notice than before. He then looked to Neji who sucked on his spoon. The Hyuga removed the spoon from his mouth and swallowed realizing he was being watched.

“You like chocolate?” Shikamaru guessed.

Neji deadpanned not wishing to be dissected as he ate.

The Nara chuckled offering the rest to Neji.

“Do you not?” Neji asked.

“It’s fine, more of a vanilla person,” the boy said before peering back through the window.

Neji then took the carton and ate another spoonful before the Nara could look again.

“You really like chocolate, don’t you?” Shikamaru joked, turning back to the Hyuga.

Neji grew annoyed so he placed a hand against the Nara’s face and turned his head away only for Shikamaru to take it as a game. He tried to turn back only for Neji to try to turn him around again, then the Nara faced him fully to which Neji responded to by turning his back with the carton. Shikamaru stepped to the side to try to see Neji’s face just to further irritate him when Neji turned in the opposite direction. Soon, the Nara was swaying side to side until the Hyuga decided to simply face the counter. Not even that stopped the boy’s attempts. He stood closely behind Neji and neared his face to the side of the Hyuga’s own who only stood still. Neji stared to the cabinet before him, no longer participating in the game. Shikamaru’s teasing face grew closer to his cheek before Neji finally looked to him, giving him the attention that he seemed to be fighting for. The Nara wore a faint, sly smile. He could be childish at times all while sometimes being the more mature one of the two every now and then. Neji stood his ground and waited for the Nara to grow bored of simply watching him, leaving little to no space between the two. The Nara did not bore easily it seemed. Neji simply scooped another spoonful of chocolate and ate it all while watching the Nara who did not seem like he would leave the Hyuga alone any time soon. He swallowed and waited, dropping his hand to the counter, “Nara.”

“Hyuga.”

“What are you doing?” He asked impatiently.

Shikamaru shook his head before leaning against the counter next to Neji. He still grinned humorously at the awkward situation he had created.

Neji stared to the Nara hoping to silently convey his annoyance before realizing the boy would never catch on. Truthfully, he knew the boy was smart enough to catch on, he only chose to ignore Neji’s irritation, so the Hyuga stepped around the boy to rinse his spoon before throwing the ice cream carton into the trash bin. He then exited the kitchen and made his way to the room he shared with his sisters through the dark halls. Once he arrived at the door, however, his hand only rested on the doorknob. He did not wish to wake the girls. He then looked down the way of which he came.

Neji stepped into the living room to find the Nara sprawled out on the pull-out couch. The only light in the room came from his phone. Shikamaru continued to scroll through it as he spoke, “You spending the night with me?” he asked.

“Do you mind?”

Shikamaru tossed his phone to the side before finding the remote, powering the television making sure to keep it on mute, “I don’t mind, I just won’t be sleeping for a while.” He turned on the subtitles so he could understand the video on screen.

Neji entered the room and sat on the opposite side of the futon. He kept his arms folded as he watched the current channel.

“Old sitcoms?” The Nara proposed. He knew neither of them would be sleeping anytime soon because of the nap they shared which seemed to have stretched for hours.

“Whatever you would like,” Neji said as he reached for a pillow that he could lie against.


	48. Chapter 48

A wet hand fell against his face alerting Neji into swatting at whatever stood over him leading him to accidentally slap his youngest sister who yelled in complaint.

“You should not have done that,” Neji defended immediately.

“Whatever, you were gone so long I forgot you were stale,” she shot back as she rubbed her cheek, “Miss Izumi told me to get you so we could go.”

Shikamaru groaned as he sat up, “What?”

“Stale?” Neji questioned next.

“Go?” The Nara added.

“Where?” Neji furrowed his brows as he sat up.

“Yeah,” Hanabi said as if it was universally known as she rolled her eyes, heading towards the kitchen, “What? They didn’t tell you?”

. . .

Apparently, the matter had been discussed the day before while Neji and Shikamaru were in the attic for hours. Itachi’s plan was to take them all to a vacation home that his family shared with extended family members. His father had given him the keys and was allowing him to use it without having asked any questions at all. He must have assumed it was for Itachi and Izumi’s romantic getaway. The Uchiha had rented a van in order to get them there in one trip. Still, the vehicle was a bit packed with Itachi driving, Izumi in the passenger seat, Hanabi, Hinata and the silent dancer taking up the middle row, and Neji and Shikamaru occupying the cramped back. They had to leave a few things back home because their luggage did not fit in the spacious vehicle. Luckliy, the dancer had nothing to her name, so it gave them more room to work with. Even with that on their side, each passenger’s legs had little to no room due to the possessions they did keep with them.

“Do you guys have any more room back there?” Hanabi asked, turning to face the two. She then looked down to find that they barely had enough space to move their feet, “You guys could squeeze a few more things,” she considered aloud.

“No, Hanabi,” Neji ordered.

The girl spun back around and sat down in her middle seat without another word. The girl was bored. She swayed side to side before looking to the dancer, “Hi, I’m Hanabi, but I’m sure you know because he keeps yelling at me,” Neji had never yelled at the girl since they had been in the Uchiha’s house or really ever as a matter of fact, “You’re really pretty. I like your hair, what’s your name?” She smiled to the dancer and waited for an answer as she swayed side to side.

“She doesn’t talk much, sweetie,” Izumi said from the passenger seat.

Shikamaru chuckled.

Neji shook his head.

“Oh,” Hanabi said, “I’m sorry.”

The dancer offered a faint smile without ever sparing the girl a glance, dismissing the conversation as a whole.

“Itachi can you turn on the music please?” Hanabi asked.

“I got it,” Izumi said before turning the dial on the volume. It just so happened to be the pop channel. Every song that Neji heard blasting from the girl’s room of their home leading up to then began to play and all he could do was frown in disproval.

“You don’t care for the hottest hits?” Shikamaru asked the male rhetorically.

“He hates my music so much,” Hanabi answered for him, turning in her seat to meet the Nara’s eye, “He never tells me to turn it off or anything, he just always makes that face.”

Eventually, the lyrics became mildly explicit which only made the ride a bit more awkward considering no one knew where the other’s standards lie. Still, the girl sang along without a care in the world.

“It’s not bad,” the Nara commented with a sly smile.

Neji kept his arms folded, but he knew Shikamaru’s words would only encourage the girl further, so he leaned against the car waiting for the girl to respond.

“Right?! Do you know the words? I’m sorry,” she apologized to the dancer who she had accidentally bumped into while turning in her seat.

“No, I don’t. I bet Neji does,” the Nara hinted.

“Oh, I know he does; he hears them everyday just like Hinata,” she said, looking to her elder sister who nodded in agreement. Hinata then began singing along softly which only made Neji wish for the end of the trip to come sooner. “Come on, Neji,” she pleaded, “Sing along, it’ll make the trip shorter!”

Neji doubted that. He closed his eyes.

“I know you aren’t asleep. Hey,” she snapped her fingers in his face, “Neji,” she sang in the tune of the song that played, “Neji, Neji, Neij, sing with me! Neji, Neji, Neji, join the scene,” she made up rhymes, trying her hardest to reach every note.

Shikamaru looked to Neji which was all he needed to start laughing. Soon after, Izumi began to laugh while Itachi tried his hardest to focus on the road. It didn’t stop the man from smiling. Hinata sang louder as the Uchiha turned the volume up on the dial.

“Even Mister Uchiha likes the song!” Hanabi pointed out.

Finally, the song reached a point where it begun to repeat itself in the chorus which was where Shikamaru chimed in and joined Hinata as she sang. Neji frowned at the volume. Hanabi continued to sing along to the pop song that blared from the surround sound system.

“Tonight’s the night we’ll lift the town from the grey, the fade!

Tonight’s the night we stay awake til’ they have nothin’ to say

Whoo, tonight is ours, ours, ours to take, to celebrate!”

They all sang the chorus as it repeated over and over as Neji tried to ignore it that was until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked to the Nara in question to find him still singing along facing the front of the car. The chorus continued to loop for what felt like the bulk of the song until finally, the end came putting Neji’s mind at ease enough for him to chime into the final line, “We have to celebrate tonight for our youth’s sake,” he mumbled.

“I heard that,” Hanabi teased, spinning to face her elder brother over the car seat.

He kept his arms folded and chin lowered as he eyed the girl. He sat still aside from the movements of the car. The girl giggled before sitting back down. All it took was a single note from the next song for her excitement to return.

“Whoo!” She yelled throwing her arms in the air as though her favorite team had scored.

Neji’s head fell against the head rest of the seat before him.

. . .

Each passenger of the middle row had fallen asleep and the only light visible was from the car’s GPS up front. It was late at night, and they really wondered now more than ever where the family vacation home was. Because the two in the back had woken up later in the day, neither of them was as tired as the rest, so they sat in silence as the car sped through the freeway.

Neji supposed them staying at the Uchiha’s home would be too obvious, so the relocation was sensible. His phone vibrated in his pocket, so he checked it to find a message from the Nara who sat right next to him. It was the only way to be sure that they didn’t wake those up front.

_‘Where do you think this place is?’ Shikamaru._

Neji read it before looking to Shikamaru with a shake of his head. He had no more of an idea than Shikamaru.

. . .

The lights of the car shot through their lids once it came to a complete stop. Shikamaru snored once, loudly before waking.

“Why do you do that?” Neji asked as he eased his neck upright after being bent in an awkward position for an extended period of time.

“Do what?” Shikamaru asked as he sat up.

“You do not snore until you wake up,” Neji said.

“What?” The Nara had never realized.

The trunk then opened, allowing warm night air to sweep through the car instantly filling the vehicle with the scent of sand and salt.

“We’re here?” Hanabi asked.

“Yes,” Izumi answered as she woke up as well. the car shook as Itachi unloaded the trunk without help, “Honey, just go relax, we can do it. You drove all this way.”

Itachi took some time before lowering the bags with a nod, taking towards the house in the distance.

“Do you hear that?” Hinata asked. Everyone froze as they tried to listen to what the girl had meant and before long each one of them picked up on the sound of waves crashing ashore in the distance.

“A beach house?” Hanabi gasped.

“Could you all help with the cargo?” Izumi grunted as she took two heavy bags in her hands.

. . .

They entered the house that smelled of the ocean. The wood creaked beneath their feet and stood on a foundation made up of wooden poles that protruded from the ocean water. There were no windows, only direct openings in the walls where glass panes typically would have been. It was cozy and consisted of one floor. Still, there was plenty of space for a family getaway.

“Alright, I’m sure Itachi is worn out after driving all those hours, so please be quiet for the night,” Izumi explained, earning nods from each one of them, “Okay, only one of you will be able to have your own room,” she said nodding to the dancer who had yet to open her mouth, “I’ll help you carry your things there, honey. The rest of you can choose what rooms you’ll share,” she said as Hanabi ran off without stopping to listen to the rest of what the woman had to say. “There she goes,” she sighed as she lifted the dancer’s single bag along with her own.

The other three followed after the girl as she looked for the two other bedrooms which seemed to share one bathroom. She opened one door then the next before the other teens could reach her.

“They’re the same,” she pointed out through a whisper.

“Which one do you want?” Hinata asked with a sweet smile.

“This one,” Hanabi said, leaning her head towards the one on the left.

Hinata nodded before continuing to carry her luggage to their new room, of how long they did not know.

“Guess that leaves this one for me,” Shikamaru said entering the one to the right assuming the boy would stay with his sisters.

“Could I share with you?” Neji asked.

“Yeah if you can put up with my snoring.”

. . .

The two lied in the low-rise bed as they listened to the waves rush just outside of the window that sat over their heads. The moon glowed brilliantly, giving either of the two the ability to see just about anything around them in the night. It was a soft glow that did little to disrupt their sleep. The only thing that did was the nap they had taken along the trip. Again, they found their internal clocks thrown off balance.

“You think we can go swimming tomorrow?” Shikamaru asked suddenly, assuming the other was awake just as much as himself.

“I do not know.”

The Nara let out a sigh through his nose, “How long do you think we’ll be here?”

“However long it takes to get Hizashi and your father to cooperate it seems.”

“I’m starting to think this might be bigger than them, because all of this for two guys is kinda excessive,” Shikamaru noted.

“Yes, well we are not exactly dealing with normal people. The Senju said they did not take kindly to disrespect. The punishments started out slow and grew gradually over time. They have yet to answer it seems.”

“Yeah, a bunch of psychopaths,” the Nara put plainly.

“They are,” Neji agreed. Whoever the Senju’s partners were proved that they had no mercy within them.

“Seems like a private beach house. I don’t think there are people for a while from here,” the Nara said, “We might be able to go out and test the waters tomorrow.”

“Perhaps,” Neji said before shutting his eyes.

“I saw coconuts when we walked in, maybe we can get some tomorrow. I’ve never had one before.”

“We can.”

“You going to sleep?”

“Yes.”

The Nara went quiet in order to allow the male to fall asleep, at least for a couple moments, “Do you think we could fish?”

“Go to sleep,” Neji ordered sternly.

“Okay, sorry.”

“Sleep.”

“I am?” the Nara swore questioningly. He raised a brow before shutting his eyes, placing a single hand underneath his head, “They have surf boards.”

“Shikamaru.”


	49. Chapter 49

“So, this is why he told us to bring our bathing suits,” Hanabi said as she stood before the ocean. She had either fist planted firmly against her hips, facing the waters with a confident smile, “Hinata,” she turned to her sister and held her hand, “Come on,” she tugged the girl to the waters before trudging her feet through the wet sand herself. Hinata then inched backwards at the ocean’s coolness. “Come on,” Hanabi giggled, bending over to splash water at the elder girl’s bare legs to help her adjust.

“Hanabi!” She complained shrinking away from the icy droplets.

“Your sister’s funny,” the Nara commented from where he sat against the sand.

Neji begged to differ, but he remained silent as he stood next to the boy.

“You wanna get in?” the Nara asked before he stood, wiping grains of sand from his trunks.

Neji looked to Shikamaru who wore a white t-shirt underneath an unbuttoned long sleeve shirt. “Why do you wear so many layers?” It reminded him of his sister.

The Nara looked down to his shirt before shrugging. He then removed the layer of sleeves before pulling the white t-shirt over his head. He balled up the fabrics and tossed them to the side, “No reason, really.”

Neji raised a brow then decided to dismiss it. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’s heard of the Nara doing something devoid of reasoning. He watched his sisters to find that Hinata was finally waist deep, but he could not find Hanabi. He uncrossed his arms and looked from side to side. “Do you see Hanabi?”

Shikamaru gazed to the water and gave a brief scan, “She’s probably just swimming.”

“Hinata?” Neji called.

The girl turned to face the Hyuga, trying to keep her sun hat from being swept from her head in the coastal breeze.

“Where is Hanabi?”

Hinata faced towards the ocean and searched from side to side to no avail. She then looked back to Neji and opened her mouth to answer when she shrieked. Neji began to run after her, but stopped after a single step once Hanabi emerged from the water laughing almost maniacally. Neji deadpanned at the girl before inhaling to calm himself seeing that neither girl was ever in trouble to begin with. He decided that he had enough of the beach for the day and turned to head back to the beach house to rid himself of the heat and nuisance of Hanabi’s so called jokes. For a brief moment, he was convinced that he would be left alone, but he picked up on another pair of feet trailing him, “You do not have to follow me.”

“Just wanna get a drink,” Shikamaru explained, but Neji somehow doubted it.

The Hyuga faced the Nara and began to voice his doubt only to eye the boy who paused in his tracks at the sudden stare. Neji never said anything; he did not want the younger to feel as though he hated the idea of having him around, so he only watched Shikamaru, never voicing his thoughts before continuing in his step towards the house.

. . .

Upon entering, the two caught sight of Izumi running a pale pink comb through the mysterious dancer’s hair. They heard Izumi giggle at something incoherent to either boy, but the fact that she had spoken to Izumi was unmistakable. The brunette woman then turned and looked to the front door, “Had enough of the beach?” She asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Neji answered as he stepped in behind Shikamaru.

“It was alright,” the Nara answered before taking to the kitchen to grab the drink he had mentioned.

“Are your sisters still out?” Izumi asked as she continued stroking the comb through the girl’s unruly hair.

“Yes,” Neji responded as he trailed after the Nara into the cooking area.

“Well, I’m glad they’re having fun. Listen, boys, Itachi had to leave but he’ll be back maybe in one to two days. He had to go get Sasuke. I think he mentioned grocery shopping too. I don’t know, but he’ll be back in a couple days, so we’ll be without a car until then,” the woman explained from the living area.

“Kay,” Shikamaru called back.

Neji shut the fridge door, “Sasuke?”

“Sasuke needs to go into hiding like us if Itachi’s as involved in this whole gang thing as much as I think he is,” the Nara explained before sipping on the carbonated beverage.

Neji remembered the last time he had seen Sasuke. He remembered the Uchiha staring to him through the hall crowded by other students, still somehow the boy had managed to capture the Hyuga’s attention. He stood out amongst everyone else that moved around them. Though he was far, his expression was something that Neji found had stuck to him though he gave it no thought at the time. Back then, he had been drained from everything that had happened with his grandfather, so he had little to nothing to say to anyone he came across that day. Thinking back, however, Sasuke seemed to have been anything other than his normally apathetic self. He seemed as though there was something that he needed to say that sat at the edge of his lips but stayed put solely because Neji had never approached him. Sasuke was like that. He was never one to step up first. It was up to those around him to reach towards him because he never reached out.

“You think he knows about everything?” Shikamaru asked.

“I am unsure,” Neji admitted. The ravenette’s behavior was rather strange leading up to then. He had been rather unstable it seemed, but over what exactly was what neither of them could pinpoint. Shikamaru pointed out how he was suppressing a side to him that he wished to keep secret from his parents which would become increasingly difficult as time progressed. Neji knew that he always had countless responsibilities mounted over him to add to that, but then again, it could not be said for sure why exactly his behavior had been erratic the past few weeks.

Again, they heard the giggling from the living area. The two looked to one another before peering through the kitchen hatch to watch the two as Izumi combed the girl’s hair. The dancer stared to her reflection through a handheld mirror in awe. Her hair was the neatest it had been since the night she ran from the life she led on the pole.

“Do you like it?” Izumi asked, placing her hands to the girl’s shoulders.

She nodded and turned to face the woman. She said nothing, but Izumi understood, “You’re welcome,” Izumi smiled warmly before standing to put the comb away, leaving the girl to stare at her reflection in the mirror that matched it.

Neji and Shikamaru stared to the dancer before backing away from the kitchen hatch, “Seems like she’s opening up,” the Nara noted quietly.

“Yes, it is nice to see. I believe she only needed another woman to feel comfortable.”

Shikamaru nodded in agreement as he finished the last of the soft drink before placing it against the counter. He then unballed his button up shirt and slid his arms into the sleeves. He may have dismissed it as a simple meaningless habit, but it was rather odd to the Hyuga. There was no way the boy could have been cold. The air was sweltering with the only relief being the slight breeze every now and then. Neji then spotted a ceiling fan in the living room and exited the kitchen to find the switch. He moved about the living room trying to locate the switch and noticed the girl rise from her seat. He had no doubt his presence discomforted her, so he debated on simply dealing with the heat until she left until he felt cooler air against his bare back. He turned to find the silent girl standing with her hand to the switch.

“Thank you,” he said, refraining from staring directly at her.

She looked to him briefly before nodding and continuing after Izumi. She had grown to find comfort in the woman which lessened their concerns just slightly. Neji was half convinced the dancer would run off because of how she would nearly cower when they were in the same room, but with Izumi there to provide womanly comfort, he was sure the girl would have no reason to put herself in harm’s way.

“Hi, sweety,” Neji heard from down the hall, “Come in, I’ll scoot over.”

. . .

Hinata, Hanabi, Neji, and Shikamaru all sat in the dark of the living room and listened to the waves just outside of the window that gave sight of the back deck that stood directly over the water.

“We should all tell our secrets,” Hanabi said. A grin could be heard from her words.

“What?” Hinata asked nervously.

“It’s what I used to do at sleep overs,” the younger girl explained, “We’d sit in the dark and tell secrets.”

“Easy to do when you’re ten,” the Nara commented.

“How many more secrets could you make in a six-year difference?” The girl asked.

“A lot.”

“Okay, well you seem to be hiding some stuff, so you start,” Hanabi smirked.

“I got nothing. Neji?” Shikamaru passed the bomb to the male without hesitation.

Neji furrowed his brows, knowing that the Nara had lied, “Really?”

“Really,” Shikamaru said, “You hiding anything?”

“No.”

“That was a lie,” Shikamaru said having lied himself less than half a minute ago.

“Yeah, sounds fake,” Hanabi teased, “I know you guys have secrets.”

“Well, if I told you, then it wouldn’t be a secret,” Shikamaru said.

“That’s the point of this game,” the girl rolled her eyes.

“In that case, let’s play a different one. I spy with my little eye…” the Nara began.

“How can we play I spy when it’s pitch black?” Hanabi asked.

“…Something big and white,” Shikamaru continued.

“Huh?”

“The moon,” Neji answered.

“You got it, your turn.”

“I wanna play the secrets game. Neji, I never told you this, but I kissed a boy. Guess who,” Hanabi said as she lied longways against the couch.

Her elder brother was annoyed by the girl’s obnoxiousness, but even more unsettled by the news, “What?” He frowned.

“I said guess who.”

“Hanabi, I do not know anyone your age.”

“You’ve met him,” she revealed.

“Have I?” He asked doubtfully, wishing the girl would remove her feet from his lap.

“Mhm, remember the last mayor?”

Neji did remember the last mayor from their middle school. His name was Hiruzen. He then remembered a middle school assembly where the man brought his grandson. He was small back then; Neji was sure the boy had to be about Hanabi’s age. Then, he got it. “His grandson?”

“Mhm, Konohamaru Sarutobi.”

“Hanabi,” Neji spat.

“He’s cute,” the girl swooned.

Neji did not like the sound of it at all, “You are too young to be thinking of that sort of thing.”

“Oh, I have to wait until I’m as old as you?” She asked playfully.

“At least, if you do not mind,” he crossed his arms before immediately dropping them, trying to avoid being anywhere akin to Hizashi.

“Once I’m sixteen, I’ll be able to do…” she then coughed dirtily to get her point across.

“No, Hanabi.”

“Well, you do,” she teased.

“Excuse me?” Neji asked, feeling his cheeks go red.

The girl then rolled off the couch before walking towards the flushed male. She leaned towards his ear, “I found it,” she whispered.

Neji stood, “You!”

There was a knock at the door interrupting Neji’s complaints. They heard Izumi approaching from down the hall and watched as she took the three pizzas from the man in the door, “Thank you,” She then shut the door with her foot and walked towards the group of kids, setting the boxes on the table, “We have meat lover’s, vegetable, and plain cheese. I should’ve asked if any of you were vegan, huh? Sorry about that. We still have road snacks if you don’t want any,” she offered before placing her hands to her hips.

“Thank you,” they all said in harmony before taking to the kitchen for plates. Hanabi raced in front of them to retrieve the plates from the cupboard. She then smirked as she handed the plates to the teens that came in a line. She handed Neji a plate last with the most suggestive grin she could muster. The male took the plate and eyed her distastefully.

“When did you even get the chance to kiss this boy?” He asked as they reentered the living area.

“The bathroom.”

“How did you manage to…”

“I shoved him in and kissed him. He does go to my school after all.”

Neji stared to the girl as she grabbed three slices of the meat lover’s pie. He was shocked that he had never noticed this side of the girl. Then again, he never gave the girl much attention. There could be a world of things that he didn’t know such as how the girl had identified a douche that lied abandoned in his closet. He furrowed his brows before looking to Shikamaru who sat on the floor, dissociating himself from the discussion.

“Have you had your first kiss, Hinata?” Hanabi asked.

“Well, I,” she placed a slice of cheese pizza onto her plate before going silent.

Neji looked to her tensely. It could have only been of one of the two boys he did not favor.

“Mhm,” she hummed quietly.

“Who?” Hanabi asked excitedly.

Neji knew the only reason she was hesitating is because he was there. It had to have been either Naruto or Kiba.

“Um, what about you, Neji?” Hinata shifted the question.

“Who was it?” Neji asked second.

“Kiba,” she fessed up.

“When?”

“During the first party,” the girl admitted shyly, “It was before everything. It was a surprise and…”

“What do you mean a surprise?” Neji narrowed his eyes, placing his plate against the coffee table having lost all interest in food.

“Nothing,” she swore, “He was close, and I turned, and it happened.”

“Did he force you?” Neji asked further.

“No, no! Nothing like that! I promise!”

He couldn’t be sure of the girl’s words. All he was sure of was that he really disliked the hound of a boy by then if he didn’t hate him.

“Have you had yours, Neji?” Hanabi moved on quite quickly.

“No,” Neji answered hastily.

“What about you, Shikamaru?” The girl asked cheerfully, “have you had your first kiss yet?” There was silence, “Shikamaru?”

“I was eating,” he explained, “Yes.”

“Who was it?” Hanabi asked, planting herself on the ground right in front of him.

“Her name was Temari,” he answered, knowing the girl would not know who she was.

“Temari?” Neji questioned, “The one that dropped out?”

“Yeah,” the Nara confirmed.

“It is a shame to get so far only to drop out,” Neji thought aloud through a misfortunate frown.

“Yeah, well, some people have to work jobs just to get by when their parents don’t provide,” the Nara commented before standing to wash his plate in the kitchen sink.


	50. Chapter 50

Neji exited the bathroom to hear small, effeminate voices drifting through the hall from Izumi’s bedroom. He walked towards it just to get an idea of what he was missing to find Hanabi sitting on the bed, making friendly conversation with the girl who normally kept to herself. He then distanced himself from the doorway as to not alarm them. Once he turned however, he came face to face with Shikamaru making him come to an abrupt stop.

“You cold?” Shikamaru asked. It was a funny thing for the boy to ask considering the sweatshirt he was wearing in a house that sat on the beach.

“No,” Neji answered, noting that he was holding his arms to his chest as he usually did. He dropped his arms begging them to stay by his side from then on out, “Where is Hinata?”

Shikamau shrugged.

“Have you seen her today?” The Hyuga asked.

“I heard her if that helps.”

“When?”

“Earlier this morning. I think she was talking to Izumi. They might be having lady time or something.”

That was a possibility, Neji thought. Still, Hinata wasn’t someone to wander off with someone she hardly knew even if they were housing her.

“I wouldn’t worry, though,” Shikamaru said, noting the Hyuga’s expression that seemed to be sorting through possibility after possibility. He caught Neji’s attention before allowing the male’s mind spiral too far. “I’d worry if she was the only one gone,” he said before heading towards Izumi’s room, “Hey,” he said leaning through the doorway. He was offered the same intense stare from the silent girl as each of the men have. It was to be expected by then even if the stare was like that of a ghost, dead set on reading into the person’s soul, “Where’s your sister?” He asked nonchalantly.

“She went on a walk with Izumi,” Hanabi said, “Now, go,” she waved him off, “She doesn’t like you,” she was referring to the dancer, but he already knew this. He was on his way out as soon as he had gotten his answer.

“Hear her?” The Nara asked, returning to the Hyuga.

Neji nodded, still he felt a bit unsettled.

Shikamaru tilted his head and studied the Hyuga through lazy lids. Neji then locked eyes with the younger and waited for Shikamaru to say something, anything other than simply staring without explanation, “What?” Neji finally asked.

“You don’t trust them.”

“No, I do not,” Neji confessed, “Nothing about it makes sense.”

“Yeah, but if I had to choose who to shack up with, I’d choose this over the Senju. They were making us work for free.”

“Well, yes, but their hospitality was excellent for them to have only wished to kidnap us.”

“I mean sure, but staying with Itachi just feels safer,” Shikamaru couldn’t explain himself apart from his feelings, “The air is more familial,” he narrowed his eyes wondering if he was making any sense to the other.

Neji nearly folded his arms in consideration before he decided to simply join them behind his back as he continued to think, “Still, I try to imagine what all he could be after.”

“He could be trying to save people he cares about, or he could be trafficking us,” Shikamaru guessed casually.

Neji furrowed his brows at the idea that came naturally to the Nara.

“She’s hungry!” Hanabi shouted from where she stood in the hall, holding onto the doorframe of Izumi’s room.

. . .

Shikamaru closed the refrigerator and opened the travel bags that sat in the kitchen untouched by those who were sick of the road snacks which all of them were, “Well,” the Nara sighed, “Maybe we can find Izumi and ask for take out.” He looked to Hanabi who followed after the Nara in digging through the bags.

“Okay,” she settled disappointedly, “I’ll go see if she likes these,” she said, ripping a bag of half-finished chips from the travel baggage before swaying out of the kitchen, moping.

Shikamaru then looked to Neji before dropping his hands into the pockets of his sweats, “I’m gonna go find Izumi.”

. . .

The waves splashed against the darkened, wet sand as the breeze of the coast blew strongly. Apart from the wind, seagulls could be heard, screeching as they glided against the blow in the sky. The rustling of palm trees added to the atmosphere around them that smelled of sun-bleached sand and sea salt.

Shikamaru walked barefoot with his sweats rolled up, stopping below the knee. He eyed a small brown bird with long legs, a wader, as it dashed through the wet sand. It stared right back at the two and inched further away as they walked the beach, “Damn, how far did they go?” He asked, shielding his eyes from the sun.

Neji shook his head cluelessly.

Shikamaru came to a stop before turning back towards the house that had grown more distant than he thought it would be, “Wanna go the other way?”

“Yes,” Hinata could not have gone too far from the house though a good talk could last one some miles. So, they began the trek back towards the house in order to pass it and continue searching in the opposite direction. “Trafficking,” Neji said suddenly.

“Hm?” Shikamaru frowned unsure of the context.

“Do you think that is what happened to her?” He asked regarding the dancer.

“Without a doubt.”

The two continued to walk in silence due to the wind making it nearly purposeless to speak for most of the way. Finally, the wind calmed, allowing them to be more audibly aware of their surroundings. Mostly, the other sounds that were previously quieted by it only increased in volume as the still air began to warm just slightly.

Neji thought about the girl who did not speak unless spoken to. Simply looking at her made the Hyuga fear the Senju even more than he did upon meeting them. They had put on a good show of being the good guys in the equation. Suddenly, Shikamaru quickened his step and leaned down in front of Neji. The elder male watched the boy, wondering what had caught his wandering eye that time. Shikamaru stood and faced Neji, holding a small, tan crab with two fingers. Neji stepped back with a frown.

“Wanna hold it?”

“No,” Neji declined without a second thought.

Shikamaru continued to study it as though it were some sort of expensive jewel. Neji watched it squirm in the Nara’s grip. Clearly the boy had held one of its miniature size before. His fingers were out of pinching range enough to rotate the crab without getting caught in its clamps. Eventually, Neji neared it as well and became just as close to it as Shikamaru. They watched it together speechlessly. It was rare that either of them got to see one in person, after all.

“You mentioned fishing,” Neji remembered.

“Yeah, but I haven’t seen any fishing poles, so that dream died.”

“I imagined that you would be a vegan,” the Hyuga said.

Shikamaru’s eyes shot up towards the sky as if he were trying to remember a time where he had given the impression, “Why?” He asked, looking to Neji who still watched the crab.

The recycling and typical admiring of nature gave Neji the idea, “I am unsure,” the Hyuga lied.

“Hm,” the Nara dismissed before setting the crab back into the sand, “We should go before it clips our toes off.”

“What?” Neji asked worriedly, distancing himself from the shellfish.

“I’m kidding,” the Nara called over his shoulder with a sly smile, “Let’s find your sister, make sure she wasn’t kidnapped.”

Neji did not find the boy’s humor all that humorous.

. . .

“Okay,” Shikamaru sighed after being unsuccessful in finding the women in the opposite direction as well.

Neji said nothing, he only turned and paced back to the house having wasted over an hour on the beach when his sister was still nowhere to be found.

The Nara looked to the Hyuga before trailing after him, “They could’ve been in the first direction we tried and just went home when our backs were turned, or they could just be further out.”

“I am tired of wondering,” Neji said.

. . .

Neji swung the door open as he rushed into the beach house, “Hanabi?” He called.

Each female looked to the two who had suddenly appeared in the door. The dancer, Hanabi, Izumi, and Hinata were all seated on the couch comfortably, seemingly discussing something rather interesting before Neji interrupted it.

The Hyuga froze where he was standing as he stared to Hinata, “Where were you?” He asked relieved.

“With Izumi,” she answered, surprised at the male’s entry.

“Yes,” he said looking to the woman, “But where?”

“Oh, we were just floating around in the waters under the house. We didn’t go far,” Izumi assured, “I ordered take out while you two were gone. Hopefully Itachi will be back tomorrow with some fresh fruits or something we could cook. I just feel bad for him since he’s been doing all this rushing around. The worst part of it is that I can’t even cook. He’s the one that does the cooking out of the two of us, so it’ll be up to him to serve us again once he gets back, but it’s no rush. If we have to order take out once he gets here, then that’s fine by me,” she rambled, “Did you two enjoy your walk?” Each female looked to the boys who still stood having barely left the door.

Neji was stuck on how they had been underneath them the entire time and they had walked up and down the beach trying to find them, imagining the worst. Well, one of them imagined the worst.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru answered her question.

“Good,” the woman said before standing. The untalkative girl had avoided looking to anyone since the boys had entered until the brunette stood. She then followed Izumi with her eyes, fighting the urge to follow the woman physically. Shikamaru noticed this.

“Let’s go in the back,” he said, tilting his head down the hall. Neji did not catch on because he had been stuck, watching his sister who had unknowingly worried him all morning. Still, he did not protest, so he followed the Nara to see if he wished to discuss the matter.

Shikamaru shut the door to their bedroom and lied on the bed without a word. Neji watched him, waiting for an explanation. The Nara felt the gravity of his silence and opened a single eye to peer up at the elder male, “We were making her uncomfortable,” he kept short before closing the single eye, “Even with the girls around.”

“I see,” Neji understood before sitting against the mattress.

“Heard from your dad?” The Nara asked.

“He only checks in from time to time, but nothing new has happened.”

“Hm,” Shikamaru hummed in response.

Car doors could be heard shutting just outside because of the openness of the wall’s window.

“They’re here already?” Shikamaru questioned as he sat up. They could already hear footsteps headed towards the front door before they followed, themselves.

They each stood outside of the beach house door and watched as Sasuke gathered his things in the summer heat with the aid of his elder brother before they headed towards the house. Izumi, however, did not allow the boy to get halfway before running towards him, embracing him tightly as though it had been a while since she had last seen the ravenette. Neji then shared a quick glance with the boy before he headed back inside along with the others.

. . .

Shikamaru sat on the bed and Neji stood next to the door while the Uchiha sorted through his luggage. Neji couldn’t help but notice how the Nara would stare to Sasuke. His expression was unreadable due to his eyes constantly lacking interest or passion of any kind. The Uchiha then stood with a change of clothes in hand. The boys would share a room similar to how Hinata and Hanabi shared a room. Sasuke looked to either male that watched him. He eyed them silently, one at a time, back and forth before averting his gaze and leaving for the bathroom.

Shikamaru lied back against the bed, “He knows.”

“How can you tell?” Neji asked.

“He didn’t look confused at all. If anything, he looked guilty.”

So, Sasuke could be involved as well. He could have gone through what they had faced in the beginning or he could be more hands on like Itachi. There was no way of knowing unless they began to ask questions, but it was not their place in all of it.

“How much do you think he knows?” Neji questioned.

“He might know why we’re here. I mean, seeing three people from school, their younger sister and a stranger in your vacation house could concern anyone, but he didn’t act like anything was out of the ordinary.”

It was true. Sasuke did not speak a word to anyone since he stepped foot into the house a couple of hours back, nor did he ask any questions. He seemed to have avoided Neji and his sisters however, and the Hyuga already knew the Uchiha seemed to dislike the Nara, so he had been an avoidant all evening.

“Maybe we’ll get more answers from him than Itachi,” Shikamaru suggested.

Suddenly, the door of the room opened further revealing Hanabi whose eyes sparkled with admiration, “Your friend is hot!” She whispered excitedly.

Neji frowned, “Leave him alone.”


	51. Chapter 51

Neji walked through the hall early on the bright morning to find that Sasuke was awake too. The Uchiha lied against the couch with a cushion between his arms as he scrolled through his phone. Neji knew that the boy could tell he was there, still the ravenette ignored him, so Neji continued to the kitchen for something to quench his morning thirst.

He filled the glass with water from the sink as he thought. He wondered why the Uchiha acted as though they were strangers after shooting him a longing look through the campus halls. Not only that, Shikamaru had said that the boy seemed to be aware of everything around him which made his actions all the more confusing. To add to that, even though this was his family home, Sasuke slept on the couch as opposed to taking the bed when Shikamaru and Neji offered the entire thing to him after his long, back-breaking trip.

“Morning,” Izumi greeted as she shuffled into the kitchen with a yawn.

“Good morning,” Neji replied, facing the woman.

“How’d you sleep?” She asked.

“Well,” he answered with a small smile that did not reach his eyes. He could not say the same for Izumi. She looked as if she was still struggling to awaken, “How about you?”

“Well, I can’t stop yawning,” she smiled after another long one left her.

Neji tapped his glass with his fingers as the silence swelled. He looked all around them subtly for anyone else who may be around. He then looked through the window to spot a clear sky, free of even the slightest cloud, “Why are we here?”

Izumi stood from where she crouched before the fridge with a sigh. She then spun to lean against the large appliance, “I’ve been told you pretty much know everything. I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of things, so,” she paused to collect her words. She looked to the tile, “Itachi came to your house because he knew you were in danger, you and your sisters, and – quite frankly – your father, Hiashi.”

Neji was alarmed at the sound of that, “Why did he not come with us?”

Izumi shook her head, displaying her lack of knowing, “Itachi works for the Akatsuki.”

“Akatsuki?”

“The Senju’s partners, except the Akatsuki are larger. The Senju just has a better hold on politics which helps the Akatsuki. Not only that, the Senju help the Akatsuki distribute their, well, illegal contents. In return, the Akatsuki – who took over Konoha’s police force long ago – offer the Senju cover from having to face jail time for what they do. Years ago, the mayor noticed that crimes often went unsolved or unpunished and intervened, or at least began to before he figured this way, he would no longer have to fret about his own underground business. The mayor at the time was Hashirama Senju, of course which makes sense for his relatives to take over the mayor position after his term. It’s almost like a monarchy,” she shook her head, “Anyways, the two groups have been at odds for generations, but once Hashirama found that he could use the corrupted police force to his advantage, he offered deals. He wouldn’t snoop if the Akatsuki worked the same magic for him and the rest of the Senju. From then on, the Akatsuki casted all of their votes to Senju to make sure that whoever was in office would not meddle in their affairs. It was a strange deal since it wasn’t based off of exact terms and agreements. It was more like a stand still until one of them failed to provide for the other, so for years the city was at its most peaceful that is until recently,” she looked to Neji.

Recently had to have been where their fathers came into play. Hizashi, who had been in charge of directing the shipments and watching over the warehouse had ran off, inspiring others to do the same. Only, the others had no plan in place on how to avoid their manager’s bosses due to not knowing who it was exactly they were dealing with. It resulted in deaths, missing persons cases and others who had to abandon their home lives altogether, Neji was sure. Running was a foolish thing to do. He only wondered why Hizashi had a sudden change of mind regarding the place he had landed himself in. He should have known better than anyone else that one could not simply run from a loaded gun without the risk of a bullet piercing a lung. Hizashi had only been lucky getting this far. Perhaps it was his unstable living situation that made it difficult for the Senju and Akatsuki to locate him.

“It’s not just them,” Izumi continued, “The Senju are partnered with another subgroup named Sarutobi. It was the reason for Hiruzen’s election and reelection. The Akatsuki made sure there was no competition his second run,” the other competitor being Fugaku Uchiha and Minato Namikaze oddly enough, Neji remembered as she explained. After the loss, Neji recalled Minato saying he was rather glad because he wanted to take on something simpler which turned out to be a school counselor of all things. The Hyuga wondered if the drastic change of pace ever bothered the man especially to be seen reduced so far from what he was striving for before. He knew very little about Fugaku Uchiha other than he simply dropped out from the race. It was strange because Minato seemed to be favored by the public. He had more advertising while Hiruzen did not even try. Still, the elder man won with ease.

“How?” He asked.

“Simple, the Senju threatened Minato, skewed the votes and told Fugaku to stand down. If an Uchiha were the win the election, then the Akatsuki would no longer need the Senju which would’ve sparked their rivalry all over again, so the Senju made it clear that they were the only ones who decided who ran. Oh, the Akatsuki are partnered with the Uchiha, another subgroup like the Sarutobi,” she clarified.

Neji lowered the glass from his lips as he thought it over. The Akatsuki was a major group connected to the Uchiha, “What do the subgroups do?” He questioned.

“They do the more hands-on stuff. If our boss wants something, it’s up to us to do it even if it means burning someone’s life savings,” she said, pulling a seat from the kitchen table, “The same goes for the Sarutobi; they serve the Senju.”

“Why?” Neji frowned at what seemed to be such an impossible situation.

“Well, before the Akatsuki and Senju found peace, they were the strongest, most competitive groups in Konoha. The subgroups weren’t as strong, so they asked for protection in exchange for their service. The Uchiha went to the Akatsuki and the Sarutobi flocked to the Senju and they’ve been at odds since even though the two main groups claimed they’ve patched things up,” she said as she rubbed her neck.

Neji stared to her, “You serve the Akatsuki.”

She nodded with a slow, shameful blink, “It was something I was sucked into when I was really young. I was an orphan, adopted by Itachi’s uncle which is why we share the same surname, but we grew closer and,” she smiled to the table, “We wanted to get married, but with the life we lead, I don’t know.”

Neji nodded, “I’m sorry.”

“We thought about running away, but the Akatsuki travel. They get around quickly and silently,” she peered through the kitchen hatch behind Neji, “There was no where we could go unless we found a space shuttle.”

Neji’s eyes dropped to the floor, unsure of what to say.

“I guess you’re wondering why we helped you. Itachi’s always been good. He felt guilt towards you, feeling like he was the one who put you through everything, so he did his best to hide you all. I can’t promise you we’ll stay here, but we will for as long as we feel safe,” she massaged cracks from her knuckles as her tired eyes looked through the kitchen’s exit. “He actually left early this morning. Even with us being relocated, he still has to follow orders and pretend as though nothing has changed, as though he wasn’t hiding the Akatsuki’s potential slaves,” which is what each teen and child was in that house, “You already know everything so I guess there’s no harm in telling you he launders money. That was what he was doing in the night club,” she revealed.

It made sense now for the man to have been carrying such a large bag to something as unexpected as a night club.

“I’m a messenger,” she said, “I leave messages for people which is normally through vandalism,” her eyes dulled, “there was one time when I was told to leave a message through injury,” she frowned, “But no killing was involved,” she sighed before looking back to Neji, “Itachi doesn’t want that for any of you.”

Neji turned to look to Sasuke through the kitchen hatch to find that the boy had plugged his ears with ear buds and had fallen asleep.

“He knows, you know,” the woman informed, “He knows about his family’s affairs and business exchanges.”

Neji nodded in understanding having already figured as much.

“We’ve been lucky with him so far. We’ve managed to keep him out of it for the most part,” she chuckled sadly, “There was a time, though when he was younger. It was a few years ago. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was night. They were rushing home in the rain after being at a friend’s house for too long,” she grinned at the innocent memory so far, “He wasn’t hurt, but he was walking with his cousin, Shisui. Shisui was told to kill someone, a woman. He was never told why. He was only given a due date and it had been a sudden text, shot straight to him out of the blue. He was told that the woman was in the area, that she was close. He had an hour to finish it, and he did. He was scared, but so was Sasuke. Shisui told Sasuke to wait for him inside a laundromat. Sasuke did as told but only waited for a few minutes. He later said there was a man there that scared him, so he went to go find Shisui who he found, bashing a woman’s head in with a rock,” she rested her head against her hand, “He told his parents and Mikoto told me. Ever since then, he’s been distant. He was scared of Shisui for a while afterwards. Eventually, as he learned about our family, he realized his cousin didn’t have much of a choice, so he forgave him,” she smiled bitterly, “they grew close again. Shisui and Itachi used to be inseparable, but since Itachi grew up and moved out, Shisui was left with Sasuke and they were just about joined at the hip until the incident. Shisui’s death was obviously unnatural, but it was no suicide. He had been suicidal which helped the Akatsuki cover up the murder. He refused to kill for them ever again, but they don’t take no for an answer. The leader gouged out his eyes and tossed him from the roof, so he’d be in pain until the end,” her eyes teared up as she stared distantly, “Itachi told me.” Itachi was there in the building when it happened. He and Shisui were close. There was no doubt that the man was hurting just as much as Sasuke. “I’m sorry. You didn’t ask for all of this stuff I’m telling you now,” she wiped her eyes, “I’m sorry.”

. . .

Shikamaru was silent next to Neji as they sat on the beach, watching the waves roll just as forcefully at night. The moon lit up the land beneath it as the two sat, thinking over Izumi’s words of which Neji had relayed to the Nara.

“So, the subgroups joined the larger ones years ago?” Shikamaru asked.

“I believe so,” Neji answered.

“Do you really think the subgroups need the others at this point?”

“What do you mean?” Neji asked as he lifted a handful of sand.

“I mean, do you think being born into the surname is just a curse now? Do the Uchiha and Sarutobi even do illegal stuff anymore? The alliance was formed a while back if Hashirama was the one behind it. The guy is ancient,” he explained before tossing a wood chip into a miniature fire he had constructed before them.

Neji thought about it. He knew nothing of Sasuke’s parents or their relatives so he could not say for sure, “it is possible.” He then pictured what Izumi had told him of Shisui. He was only a few years older than Sasuke. He had been a child when he was told to take someone’s life and so brutally at that. He frowned to the sand as he released the grains from the cracks of his fingers.

Shikamaru looked out to the sea that sparkled underneath the starry sky every now and then between waves, “This whole thing is a drag.”

Neji looked out to the waters in silent agreement.

“Is he back?” The Nara asked suddenly.

Neji wondered he had meant before hearing the sound of tires stopping before the house in the distance. He squinted to eye the vehicle that could not be made out behind its high beams. He watched the driver exit the vehicle, but the high beams remained on as though the driver would only be a moment. Neji stood and leaned to get a better perspective. The car was not white like Itachi’s; it was dark, but the exact color could not be made out at the late hour, “That is not Itachi.”

“What?” Shikamaru stood, tossing sand onto the small flame to extinguish it.

Neji began towards the house but soon broke out into a run alongside the Nara.

It took them only a couple of minutes to reach the house. They nearly threw themselves onto the porch of the structure before easing the door open cautiously. Yelling could be heard before they were even in arm’s length of the house, which unsettled their nerves before their feet had even touched the foundation. The two walked in as quietly as they could and slipped into the kitchen to grab the closest and sharpest items they could. In Neji’s case, he carried a knife, Shikamaru was left with a fork. They had to be quick and quiet if they wished to go undetected, but because of the loud yelling, it was something that came easy.

“Get up let’s go!” An unfamiliar voice yelled, “They can’t protect you. They can pretend they care, but they don’t like I do!” He seemed impatient.

Both Neji and Shikamaru were lowered behind the counter and eased their way up to peer through the kitchen hatch to get a visual. The girls clung to one another in terror at the sight of the strange man who had intruded. Hinata held on to either girl as she stood in the middle making the taller dancer look smaller than she typically did. The Dancer seemed to shrink with each gesture the man made. She eventually fell to her knees behind Hinata, clinging to her dress. The sight shook Neji’s chest. The man had to have been the dancer’s abuser or at least one of them. What shook him further was the sight of a silver gun that the man whipped out from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He wore gloves as if he did not wish to leave many clues, as if he were planning to kill that night. Neji’s eyes widened. It was aimed at his sister who tried her hardest to defend the others. He did not think before tightening his grip on the knife and running to the stranger, leaving Shikamaru without a signal as to what he planned to do once he reached the armed man.

“Give him to me!” The man yelled before being stabbed mercilessly in the arm, redirecting the trajectory of his bullet that rang their ears that were so ill prepared. The man ripped the knife from his arm with a pained yell and turned to sling it at Neji who just barely avoided the slice. That was when Shikamaru hopped through the kitchen hatch seeing that the Hyuga was in peril as long as he was the man’s main focus. The stranger then aimed the gun at Neji only for his good arm to be pierced with a fork, again, redirecting his fire. He yelled in agony, dropping the gun as blood trickled down his arms. He then spun to face the dancer, “Look what you did!” He shouted, “This wouldn’t have happened if you just stuck to the fucking pole! I looked after you when your parents didn’t want you! They gave you up for money, all they wanted was money, so they gave up their only fucking child!”

The others stared at the man who seemed to have gone hysterical.

“You left,” his voice was small as though he had realized it himself just then, “You left me for what?!” He spat, tearing the fork from his arm, throwing it to the dancer at his best ability. Unsurprisingly, it landed nowhere near the girls. “You were mine! Come back, and I promise I’ll treat you better. Remember when you wanted that ice cream and I said no?” He wore a smile that did little to hide the desperation in his eyes, “I’ll get it for you, just come back,” he pled after being reduced to a bloody mess.

“Go outside,” Neji ordered his sisters.

The girls nodded and Hinata stepped around him as she guided the younger by the back. Once past him, the two ran for the beach.

“Come back and leave them alone. Can’t you see you’re bothering them? They don’t need you here like I need you,” the man said before falling to his knees, arms limp as he stared up to the dancer who shook violently. “Come back to me. I can take care of you. All you need to do for me is a small favor.”

Those words seemed to be all it took for the dancer to stop shaking. Her eyes went blank as she held her head. Tears rolled down her pale face as she slowly looked back to the pitiful man. She was faced with a smile, a pathetic one, a sorry excuse of a friendly expression.

“You remember, don’t you?” The man settled just a bit thinking that the dancer had come to her senses at the sound of a familiar phrase. “Just a small favor,” he repeated with the same false smile. The dancer looked as if she had entered a calm. Rather than it being calm however, it was oddly ominous in a sense that neither boy could figure out until the dancer walked around the man to lift his silver gun. The man’s eyes rounded as his smile grew but not out of joy. He was scared, terrified even. The smile seemed to want to deny that the girl would ever fire it though his fearful eyes held every reason as to why she would. The man stared to her from where he kneeled and shook his head slowly, telling her to lower it. “You wouldn’t,” he whispered.

“Woah,” Shikamaru said.

Neji’s eyes only widened as he created distance between himself and the man. Shikamaru mirrored the Hyuga as the man continued to yell at the girl.

“Now, think about this. You couldn’t kill someone, I’ve killed someone. I know how it feels, and once you do it you can never go back. You’re going to wish you never pulled the trigger,” he sounded as if he wanted to whimper in defeat, “I promise you, just drop the gun!” He shouted. “Put it down!” Still the dancer aimed it to him, finally placing her finger on the trigger, “Haku!” The man shouted.

“Don’t!” Shikamaru yelled.

A sharp fire ripped through the living room, rattling those who stood anywhere near the beach house.


	52. Chapter 52

Izumi walked back through the door along with Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke covered in blood, ocean water, and sand. No one spoke a single word. They only stood, each of them reflecting on what they had just done. Izumi stared to the blood against the wooden floor, “I’ll clean that up. You boys freshen up,” she said quietly. Her voice was close to a tremble. Still, the boys stood uncomfortably, wondering where to start with getting the evidence out of their clothes.

“You guys can go ahead, I’ll wait,” Shikamaru said faintly as he removed his drenched sweatshirt, never removing his stunned eyes from the red spot.

Neji then looked to Sasuke and offered a nod, telling him the bathroom was all his for now. The Uchiha left the three to rinse himself of the evidence of ever touching the man. He had been out with Izumi when it all happened. They were only near enough to hear the gun shot and raced over to find Hanabi and Hinata huddled together outside of the house, crying. Izumi and Sasuke then entered to find a dead man bleeding from his head lying lifeless against the living room floor. The dancer stood stunned with the gun in hand, eyes wide at what she had done. It wasn’t until Sasuke made a noise that the girl dropped the gun and stood numbly staring to the man she had apparently killed.

“Thank you for the help,” Izumi sighed, massaging her sore hands.

Neither of them knew how to respond to her gratitude for them helping her hide a body. The task was daunting until the very end and still weighed heavily on their conscious. Izumi could see this. She was just as torn about it as the boys.

“You said he was trying to take her?” Izumi asked.

“Him,” Shikamaru said, “the guy called him Haku.”

Neji looked to the Nara with the same long face as Izumi. He finally remembered that it was true. The stranger referred to the dancer as him and called him Haku before taking a shot to the head. He then looked back to the blood that had dripped onto the flooring, remembering it all too clearly.

“Oh,” she said. She was surprised but hadn’t the energy to portray even that much, “Well, he clearly damaged Haku in some way and tried to come back,” her words became less and less articulated as she stared to the stain on the floor, “tried to get Haku to come back.” Her voice quieted as they all stood wet and bloodied, staring right at the same spot in the floor.

. . .

Neji lied next to Shikamaru in the dark. Everyone had gone to bed early that evening without bothering to eat. None of them could even think about an appetite after everything.

There was a knock at the door.

Shikamaru let out a sigh as Neji stood to answer it. He opened the door to find Hanabi standing right before him. He could make out her frown even in the dark. Though she had missed the most brutal parts, she still heard them which left her imagination to shape its own images which could have been morphing every hour for all Neji knew.

“Neji? Where did you guys put him?” She asked.

Neji only watched her eyes that held just a bit more innocence than his own before pulling her into a hug. He rubbed her back comfortingly, “He cannot come back.” You’re safe, he can’t hurt you is what he meant.

“Where is he?” She asked again.

“He is gone.”

“Where?”

Neji let her go and watched her a bit longer before letting out a sigh, “We dumped him into the ocean,” he admitted, putting his fingers to his forehead as if his neck needed help supporting its weight.

“Are you going to be in trouble?” She asked worriedly.

“No, Hanabi,” he assured tiredly.

“Hanabi? Come back,” Hinata could be heard near the door before she appeared in its frame. The girl then looked through the room to spot Shikamaru who had yet to sit up, “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Neji shook his head, “We were both awake. Do you want to come in?”

. . .

Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji lied in the bed with the smallest in the middle. Shikamaru sat in a wooden chair with a woven seat next to them as they all maintained a silence that could only hope to be drowned out by the beach’s waves, but it did not help the two boys. It only reminded them of the man who was most likely being pushed around by the tides as they sat in the warmth of the room. It was dull apart from a single lantern that took on providing the entirety of the room’s light alone.

“Do you want to lie down?” Neji asked tiredly as he sat up.

“No,” Shikamaru waved the offer away when there was another knock at the door, “just stay,” he said as he stood from the old chair that creaked. The Nara opened it and looked to the Uchiha who had wanted in. “Need something from your bag?” Shikamaru guessed jokingly yet tiredly.

Sasuke gave him the same look which was enough of an answer for the Nara.

Shikamaru lifted his brows, feigning surprise before stepping to the side to allow the ravenette inside. He then shut the door and watched as the Uchiha looked around, unsure of where to go. The Nara walked towards his chair and handed it to the newcomer before lying against the floor. Sasuke took the seat silently and sat doing little to break the silence. It had been the second murder he had ever seen the effects of. Still, he looked just as traumatized as the others whose fatigued eyes seemed to refuse to close as if the same image would replay behind their heavy lids.

Again, a knock sounded.

This time, Sasuke, being the closest to the door, stood and opened it.

“Hey,” Izumi whispered with a worn smile that barely left its previously flat line, “So, I talked to Itachi about it. We don’t think we can stay here too much longer, I’m sorry.”

“I’m tired of moving, why can’t we go home?” Hanabi asked cluelessly.

Each elder in the room was unsure of how to answer the girl’s question. She looked to Izumi for an answer just as her elder sister did. Neither of them knew the truth behind the relocations, the strangers, or the death of their grandfather.

“You just can’t. It’s not safe,” Izumi sighed.

“What about Dad? Why is it dangerous? Why is he still at home, then?” She asked, sitting up.

By then, the teens kept their eyes from the girl. They knew they would have to tell the girls eventually but didn’t want to be the ones to do it.

“We just have to stay away from really bad people while your father finds you a new house to live in that’s safe,” Izumi explained.

Hanabi stared to her through her red eyes. She was worn but had not yet slept, making her stare harder, “What?” She asked, her voice breaking. She was scared finally. She let out a shaky breath now that her comfort had been breached.

“What’s going on?” Hinata asked.

“Bad people don’t like your family, but we have to make sure that they stay away, and that is all I can tell you right now,” Izumi held her hands up in surrender, “I’m sorry.”

Hanabi sat there staring right at the woman with tearful eyes that she did not blink. The tears welled to a point of falling. It was hard to look at. She was terrified being unsure of when’s the next time she’d witness something similar to what she had witnessed that night. She wondered how many there were or where they were. She wondered how far away they had to go to escape them. All she could do was wonder cluelessly which made sleep an even further concept than before. Finally, her elder sister placed an uncertain hand against Hanabi’s shoulder. The girl accepted the touch and fell into her sister’s chest to hide her face. Hinata held the girl but looked to be just as stunned as her sister. She stared to Izumi with wide, bloodshot eyes.

“Why is this happening?” Hinata asked.

“Someone in your family made these men angry, and now you’re answering for it. I’m sorry, but all I can do is move you from place to place when I can. Itachi is on his way. He’ll take you all tomorrow but I have to go back home for work,” she put simply before shaking her head tragically, “I’m sorry,” she breathed out having a difficult time facing the girls who were finally thrown from the eye of the storm. She then turned and left the room, shutting the door behind herself gently.

There had to have been a way the strange man had found them. With him being associated with Haku, there was a large chance he was working with Shizune if not the Senju, so the move had to happen as soon as they could manage.

Neji placed a hand to Hinata’s back offering the most comfort he could in her fragile state. He began to regret not informing her before then. He then looked to Sasuke who watched the three siblings with his head lowered as though he were ashamed of something. Once he noticed Neji’s gaze, he dropped his own stare to the blanket at the foot of the bed. Again, the silence picked up. Shikamaru never moved from the comfort of the floor, hidden by the height of the bed. He could not be seen, nor could he see those above him. He only listened to the exchange, quieting his breath as much as he could as if he wished to avoid interrupting anything that went on over him.

“It’s why we’re all here. Our dads,” Sasuke spoke.

Hinata looked to Sasuke as Hanabi dried her face. The younger girl sat up from her sister’s arms to look at the Uchiha who had given a vague explanation.

“Our dads’ mistakes are the reasons why we’re here. They angered their bosses and now we’re pawns,” he continued a notch above an irritated mumble.

“Dad?” Hanabi asked, “What did Dad do?” She looked up to Hinata then to her brother that sat next to the elder girl. Her face was worry-torn and searching for answers that didn’t seem to come fast enough. She was tense and afraid, but Neji did not wish for her to resent her father when the man was only trying to get them all out of the mess Neji’s true father had caused.

“He did nothing,” Neji said.

“Then why are we here?!” She unintentionally shouted impatiently after sniffling.

“Because his brother is a fool,” Neji spoke a bit louder.

“Dad doesn’t have a brother,” Hanabi claimed.

“That is what he told us, but he lied,” Neji narrowed his eyes, angrily remembering the man who was so painfully pathetic, and scatter brained, “He has a twin brother. His name is Hizashi Hyuga,” he frowned looking away from the girl, “And he is my father.”

Hinata’s head whipped to look right at Neji. Hanabi grew speechless. Again, the waves could be heard and were the only sounds drifting through the room with exception to Hanabi’s sniffling, “What?” The girl asked quietly.

“We are biologically cousins. Hiashi is not my father,” though he spoke the words, it felt as though the words were aimed directly at him. It felt like he was admitting it to himself though he was told time and time again. No one knew what to say, but all eyes were on him apart from the Nara’s who still lied against the ground, listening to each word. “I did not know until a few weeks ago.” He admitted quietly as he stared to the floor on his side of the bed as the fact shoved its way to the front of his mind. He then felt a hand against his. He looked down to see that Hinata had placed her own there reassuringly. He looked to her.

“You’re still my brother,” she said. Her lashes dampened by fearful tears was paired with the most serious expression he had ever seen on the girl. Her grip tightened to secure her point.

“Yeah,” Hanabi sniffled before reaching over to join Neji into the embrace until all three siblings were joined by the youngest girl’s arms alone. “You’re my brother.”

Neji leaned into the hold. It was the most comfort he had received in weeks, “I know,” he said quietly, because he did. No blood bond seemed to be thicker than water in the Hyuga family as proven by his grandfather and Hizashi. Though their relatedness was thinned by their being cousins, Neji felt as though the girls were truly his sisters. He wrapped his arms around either girl, and they sat that way for minutes, forgetting about the other two in the room. Neji placed his chin on the smallest’s head and caught sight of Sasuke who still sat in the chair that faced the bed. The Uchiha had that same look from school. It was an oddly painful longing to speak, but it was like someone or something had sewed his lips tightly. Neji asked what it was silently with a single stare only for Sasuke to avert his eyes. Neji only dropped his own attention before leaning closer into his sisters’ embrace.


	53. Chapter 53

“Where are we going?” Hanabi asked after what seemed to be a long and silent drive. None of them had grown onto Itachi the way they had with Izumi. He wasn’t as warm and inviting as the woman anyways. He was silent and no one ever knew what really went on in his mind.

“Just tell us, I can drive,” Shikamaru offered.

“No, that is alright,” Itachi declined politely.

The silence continued apart from the car’s wheels speeding against the highway cement.

“Do you know these roads?” Itachi asked as though he were considering it.

“Yeah, I used to get around when my old man took me on his trucking trips from time to time,” the Nara said.

Itachi said nothing. Neji assumed the man was thinking it over as he drove. Itachi had to be tired after racing for hours over the past few days meeting gods know what sort of immoral expectations.

“Maybe,” Itachi said, “Neji, do you drive?”

“Yes.”

“I might need your help getting there,” the Uchiha admitted, “You too, Sasuke.”

“Well, where are we going?” Hanabi asked, sitting up in her seat. Her relaxation seemed to be chipping away the longer she waited for an answer. The drive to take four drivers combined; they must have been heading far away from the home she had always known.

After some suspenseful moments, Itachi answered, “Sea Country.”

The girl looked to her sister desperately, “Where is that?” She almost whined.

“Um, further south. It’s an island, so it won’t be much different from where we were,” the girl sputtered trying to comfort the younger who had little concept of their situation.

Again, they kept the same seating arrangement except for Sasuke who had taken Izumi’s usual seat. They had dropped the woman off at a car rental shop before embarking on the trip. She should be headed home by now.

“Have any of you ever handled a gun?” Itachi asked suddenly. It stilled the car.

“Once,” Shikamaru said.

“I have two in the glove compartment. I trust you to show them how to use them. I have to leave you all on your own once we arrive,” Itachi said.

“What? Why?” Hanabi was close to panicking.

“I have to. I will get you money and two hotel rooms. The money should be enough to cover food, clothing if needed, and room renewal if I do not return.”

“If you don’t return?!” The girl grew loud.

“Hanabi,” Neji said quietly, urging the girl to not run them off the road. His youngest sister only fell back against the car seat helplessly and watched as the trees passed them. She was close to a pout as her confusion grew.

“Do not separate. I will try to put your rooms together.” It was kind of him to spend so much money on those who were close to total strangers to him. “If you see anything that feels strange or suspicious, call me immediately.”

Hanabi began to silently cry, throwing her hoodie over her head, curling up against the window.

“I may not be able to get to you right away, but I will send someone to help,” he said.

Neji looked into the rear-view mirror to spot Itachi’s eyes that were evidence of his endless running all over the land and back, “We can drive now if you need,” Neji offered.

. . .

Shikamaru drove first with Neji in the passenger seat. Sasuke decided to sit in the back with Itachi. The Nara had been truthful when he said he knew the roads. It was seldom that the junior had to look to the road signs for a hint before he would turn off onto certain exits and merge into specific lanes. Neji looked into the mirror to find Itachi had fallen asleep despite trying to be awake to give direction if need be. The man leaned against the shoulder of his younger brother who watched their surroundings pass through the back window. The sun was setting by that point, and Neji wondered if Itachi planned on stopping anywhere for the night since the drive was so long. They had only gotten through a quarter of it so far and the day was coming to an end.

“You should sleep,” Shikamaru said.

“Are you sure?” He did not wish to leave the Nara to drive alone.

“Yeah, I don’t know when your shift is gonna be. Just sleep so you can wake up when he does. He’ll probably give you directions,” Shikamaru explained.

Neji supposed it was only logical, “Or, Sasuke can drive next and we can both rest once your shift is over,” the Hyuga offered as he watched the lane paint disappear underneath the car with each passing second.

Shikamaru looked to the Uchiha who had apparently picked up on what they were discussing. Sasuke eyed the Nara before seemingly getting comfortable and resting his eyes, “I could do that,” the Nara agreed.

. . .

Neji opened his eyes after falling asleep unintentionally. He rose his head from the awkward, crooked position that sent a stabbing pain through his neck. He blinked to clear his vision to find that they were parked at a gas station next to a pump. The lights above were white, and blinding compared to the dark that began right at its end. Neji looked through the windows to get an idea of his surroundings before looking to the driver’s seat to find the Nara with his head resting against the arm he perched in the door. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be half asleep which was alarming considering that he sat in the driver’s seat.

Neji furrowed his brows, rolling his eyes shut again, “How long has it been?”

“We’re halfway there,” the Nara answered through a husky voice.

“Do you want me to drive?” Neji asked as he unfastened his seat belt.

Shikamaru shook his head, “He volunteered,” the Nara said without specifying who, but he didn’t need to. To Neji’s right stood Sasuke who held the gas pump. He looked to be fully awake and not due to the station’s bright beams. He had slept well through the trip, well enough to drive at least another quarter. The Hyuga then looked over his shoulder, “Where are the others?” The car was empty apart from them.

“They went inside for snacks,” Shikamaru answered.

Neji could go for food right then, but he did not wish to bother anyone with going back in the store. He was sure the others were about done before he had woken up, so he turned back around and sat straight forward in his seat, “Did you not want anything?” The Hyuga asked.

Shikamaru shook his head, “Just tired.”

Neji could see that from the way the boy hadn’t opened his eyes since Neji had begun speaking. There was a knock on his car window. The Hyuga lowered it to find a chocolate bar sticking through. He looked to Sasuke who waited for Neji to accept it, “Thank you,” he said as he took it from the Uchiha.

Finally, Shikamaru opened his eyes to look at the chocolate bar before humming in satisfaction, opening the car door. Neji was still confused as to why he was holding a jumbo-sized chocolate bar. Nevertheless, he exited from the car as well and headed towards the very back row.

Once settled, Shikamaru took no time in slouching in the seat, dangerously, but enough to get comfortable.

“Thank you for the bar,” Neji said more so to Itachi who he assumed made the purchase.

“Thank Shikamaru, he’s the one who told us to get it for you,” Hanabi said, “I didn’t even know you ate junk food,” she did not smile her usual teasing smile. The girl’s spirit worn out from learning truth after truth for two consecutive days.

He only looked to her before she turned to face forward in her seat. Neji then looked to Shikamaru and leaned towards him, “Thank you,” he said quietly.

Shikamaru nodded, keeping his eyes shut from the gas station’s harsh light. Neji leaned away but kept his eyes on the Nara as he unwrapped the chocolate. He bit off a single square with a snap and sucked on it until it melted. It was surprisingly good to say the least. The Nara must have remembered the fact from that night they shared in Itachi’s kitchen. He only wondered how the Nara had noted that Neji had a taste for chocolate before the Hyuga himself. He then remembered him mentioning that he tended to read people which was a bit strange now that he’s proven as much. He simply watched as Shikamaru sat sunken in his seat with his arms folded over his chest, seemingly drowning in his hoodie. Neji took another snapping bite that was awkwardly louder than he had planned.

Shikamaru chuckled lightly, spreading a smile across his otherwise tired face.

Neji froze wondering if it was him that he was laughing at. He then broke off a square and handed it to Shikamaru who took it unsurprisingly seeing that he was still at least partially awake. He ate it, but he kept his eyes shut in doing so. He then refolded his arms over his chest. Neji continued to watch him as he took another bite of the chocolate delicacy.

. . .

He felt a knee nudging against his own and opened his eyes to find Shikamaru sitting next to him on his phone. Neji frowned, “Did I fall asleep again?”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru answered before giving his screen a brief smile. It was in reaction to something he had seen on the device no doubt.

“How much further do we need to go?” Neji asked as he looked around.

“You need to board the boat before it leaves,” Itachi explained as the trunk behind them opened. The other three had driven the whole way without Neji’s help.

“I’m sorry,” the Hyuga apologized for nodding off after offering a helping hand in getting them where they needed to be.

“Don’t worry. We never needed so many drivers in order to get where we were going,” Itachi dismissed as he unloaded the car, “Board the boat and head to Seas Inn. They have multiple but look for one that neighbors a pizzeria.”

“You’re not coming?” Hinata questioned from where she sat in the middle row.

“I have to get back as soon as I can. I’m unsure if you’ll be able to reach me by phone here, so use the pay phone if it does not work,” the man seemed to be explaining everything in a flash as he worked on the luggage, “The boat leaves in ten minutes,” he said, looking to a large boat to the edge of the parking lot that seemed to be of mostly gravel that bordered the sea, “I’ll put the guns in your suitcase,” Itachi said looking to Hinata. It had the most room. The girl nodded but her eyes were uneasy. “Now, go or you might be stuck here for the night.”

. . .

The group managed to find seats by the railing towards the back of the higher floor of the ferry. Sasuke watched as his brother drove off, his headlights changing to rear lights until they were no longer visible. Again, they listened to waves wash back and forth. The air was warmer than where they were before but tolerable in the night. That may not be the case come tomorrow morning. Sasuke stood, facing the parking lot next to Hinata who held Hanabi under her arm. Neighboring her was Neji who was seated by Shikamaru who was slouching in the seat similarly to how he had been in the car. He stared to his sweats, keeping his hands in the pouch of his sweatshirt. His hood covered his head of fly-aways making him seem even more uninviting.

“Where’s Haku?” Hanabi asked. Haku had been in the car with them the entire way. He was silent which made it easy to look over him. Shikamaru slowly sat up and looked up and down the ferry. Neji stood and Sasuke looked around frantically.

“Did he come out of the store with you?” Neji asked.

“I don’t think he went with us,” Hanabi mumbled tiredly.

Sasuke stood still for a minute before dialing his brother.

Shikamaru then stood and shot off into the crowd that seemed to be just as worn as the rest of them.

“Shikamaru,” Neji got out before the boy was gone in the sea of strangers.

“Maybe he sees him,” Hinata guessed.

Just like she said, Haku crept towards them apologetically with Shikamaru behind him. The Nara was careful to keep his distance since he couldn’t be too sure of where Haku was as far as comfort, “Sit,” he said, giving up his seat.

Haku did as told and said nothing. He owned a simple bookbag that didn’t even seem to be filled to the brim. He truly had nothing to his name.

“Haku,” Hinata spoke as she stood. She approached the male and sat before him, “We have to stay together to be safe,” she put simply, looking up into his face that was hidden by the sides of his long black hair that began to fall unkempt with Izumi gone. The boy nodded in response. Hinata then carefully reached out as not to discomfort him, patting his knee gently before standing to rejoin her sister on the bench. Shikamaru leaned against the wall before them and faced the group that now sat silently as the ocean breeze did little to cool them. Neji wrapped his arm around the other side of his youngest sister to add to the little bit of security she had left. He then met the Nara’s eyes. Even with him being fully rested, Shikamaru still seemed as if he could fall asleep whenever he felt. They simply stared to one another as Neji held his sisters. Neji’s stare was a bit nervous and unsure; Shikamaru’s was more nonchalant while leaning towards tired of the ever-changing situation. Neji could make it out that time.

. . .

The group walked through the streets in the dark. They heard dogs and voices in the distance that seemed to have no direction. They could not tell if the echoes ricocheted or if there were people and dogs all around them. The streetlights were few and dull making the walk even more intimidating than it seemed once the boat arrived ashore. Shikamaru pulled Hinata’s suitcase while wearing his own travel bag on his back. It was a bookbag like Haku’s, but the one belonging to the Nara was large and packed to a point of having difficulty closing it shut. They walked in a formation where the girls including Haku were in the middle. Shikamaru walked to the left, Neji on the right, and Sasuke in the back. Shikamaru wore one of the guns in his waist band. Though it was not the safest, it was easy access if someone decided that they could have something nice in all of the luggage they carried.

They reached an intersection and looked left to find the Seas Inn then right to find another.

“Uh,” Shikamaru spotted someone in the distance carrying a cardboard pizza box coming from the right, “Right,” he said, but when they eyed the right, there was a number of people simply sitting in the littered street outside of their tightly packed living complexes. They were only figures in the night, but the group had to find a way to their rooms. Each one of them were unsettled by being so vulnerable in the streets.

They heard a noise behind them. They all turned to find a man, dirty and hardly clothed trying to open Hinata’s suitcase.

“Back off,” Shikamaru ordered. His voice carried without him having to necessarily yell, but the man continued until he worked a zipper open. The Nara yanked the bag forward, ripping it from the man’s hand. Neji noticed the Nara was hesitant to pull the gun.

Finally, Sasuke grabbed the man by the straps of his stained tank top and pulled him back rather harshly. The man fell against the ground and rolled over, lifting himself on all fours before sitting in a crouch. He placed his hands on his knees and pat each one, one at a time staring to the suitcase as if the group were not there. He seemed to be an animal trying to figure out who to get to the inside of a box that was the purple suitcase. Soon, they heard growling coming from the alley right next to them. They each looked to the right to find nothing but darkness, but the growls warned of a pack. They could not outrun it no matter how hard they tried. The seemingly homeless man clung to the bag all over again and at long last the Nara pulled the gun from his waist band, making the man fall back and scramble to a run, but Shikamaru never aimed it at him. He simply pointed it to the sky and shot a single bullet to scare the wild dogs off. He heard whimpering before quiet and figured they were clear to go, “Let’s get to this damn inn,” he grumbled as he hurriedly zipped up the girl’s luggage.


	54. Chapter 54

Luckily, after hearing the gun shot, the people who lurked in the street leading up to the inn did not bother them apart from staring at their every movement.

Sasuke closed the curtains to the room and turned to face the other boys who sat silently on the single bed. Haku sat in the corner in a single chair as he gripped his pant legs at the knee, keeping his head lowered.

“Haku,” Shikamaru spoke up causing the male to raise his shoulders almost in defense as if he deserved to be punished. He could have been feeling guilty from earlier’s disappearing act. “If you aren’t comfortable around us, you can room with the girls,” Itachi managed to get lucky enough to get the rooms to neighbor one another, but then again not many people would vacation in an area filled with those who would take their belongings at the drop of a hat.

Neji looked to Shikamaru who had offered for the past dancer to sleep with his sisters without consulting him first. The Nara’s calm eyes met Neji’s conflicted ones. It was not so much that Haku was male, it was more so that he had killed someone without ever looking like he was debating against it. He had been quieter since then if it were possible. Shikamaru’s long stare silently communicated to the Hyuga that it would be fine, but he had said the same thing before and things had not ended up just fine at all; it landed them in a foreign land.

Neji looked to the sheets beneath him, going back and forth over the matter with himself.

. . .

Neji lied on the ground next to the bed that held his sisters. On the other side of the bed lied Haku as silent as ever, but he seemed more comfortable this way as did Neji. He could still hear the dogs just outside along with the shouts of the country’s people. A sliver of light from the crack in the curtains casted a slim ray across his face and he turned to stare directly at it. There was no telling how long they would be here. He only hoped they could still reach inland through their phones without having to use money for some pay phone that none of them had seen on the way there. He shut his eyes and rolled over to shield himself from the streetlight’s glow and for the first time that day, he found it hard to fall asleep.

. . .

They did not go far from their rooms for days. The furthest they would go was to look for food which Sasuke and Shikamaru would bring back each time. After the experience from the first night, none of them had to desire to do much exploring so they sat with either room kept open by both of Shikamaru’s shoes that were wedged underneath the two doors. Sasuke sat in a chair between the rooms on the balcony hall and faced the town that stretched beyond the inn. His eyes were squinted at the bright light, but he did not look away.

Shikamaru left the girl’s room and stepped back into the boys’, “I think we should shut the doors, people keeping looking up here.” The main reason they opened them was to get some sort of circulation since the air conditioning seemed to be broken in either room, “I already told the girls.”

Neji stood up from where he had been digging through his bag. He sighed, tying his hair up, “Have you gone to the front desk?”

“Yeah, they pretty much told me to figure it out. They aren’t changing our rooms which tells me the AC is out across the entire place but the lobby.”

“Of course,” Neji mumbled, wiping his wrist across his forehead.

Shikamaru shifted his weight to his other foot as he looked the room over, “Look,” he said hesitantly, “You guys need to learn how to use a gun.” The reason for his reluctance was because of Neji’s apparent discomfort around the firearms.

“I know,” the Hyuga admitted as he rolled up his sleeves. Dan did teach the two how to weild one in the woods, but he retained none of it up to that point. He then planted either hand on his hips and watched as the Nara exited the room to round up the others.

. . .

“Just like that,” Shikamaru said as he eased away from the young girl who aimed the gun to the hotel wall, “Remember…”

“Only put your finger on the trigger when you’re aiming to kill,” the girl repeated.

Shikamaru nodded before looking to Haku who was an outlier in the group. He tended to keep his distance. He didn’t seem to be paying any attention to those around him. He simply sat in the lone chair, resting his hands against his bag that lied across his lap. The Nara tried to teach him how to at least hold the weapon properly only for Haku to refuse to even do so much as touch the gun. It was understandable since the last time he held one, he painted the floors red. Although he managed to kill the stranger that night, Shikamaru noticed his fingers fumbled awkwardly when he held it which could be a hazard later on if there ever comes a time that they need him to do the same thing all over again.

Shikamaru sighed in defeat and left it for now since it was made apparent that the male in the corner was hopeless, “Kay, everyone comfortable?” He asked, carefully taking the gun from the girl who seemed to be adjusting too well to holding such a dangerous item. Sasuke nodded along with Neji and his sisters. Shikamaru then placed the gun against the table. They had two of the weapons, one of which was in the girls’ room, the other lie with the boys.

“How do you know how to hold a gun?” Neji asked. He seemed to know more than what Dan had taught them.

“It was one of the many videos I’ve watched when I’m bored,” which is something he couldn’t do now that they were somewhere without easy internet access. His answer dulled Neji’s interest.

“And are you confident in what you observed in those videos?”

“I mean,” the Nara shrugged, “Yeah. I remember it pretty well. There was a time I held one, though.”

Now everyone’s attention was directed to the boy who only found the information to be hardly interesting enough to himself. Once he noticed attentive the eyes, he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Why?” Hanabi asked sitting on the single bed.

“Wasn’t a big deal. I was out with my dad on one of his trucking trips and he left me in the truck to go take a leak in the woods. I saw this car coming towards us on the opposite side of the road. I was watching videos in the passenger seat but noticed that the headlights weren’t going anywhere. So, I looked up and this guy got out of the car and followed my dad into the woods. I knew there was something wrong with it, but I also knew my old man had a gun for some reason, so I took it out of this storage area up front and climbed out of the truck. I don’t really know what they were talking about, but I aimed it right at the guy. He was in some gaudy suit – got on my nerves just looking at it. I mean, even in the night the guy’s suit was bright. All it took was seeing a kid with a gun for the guy to walk off. I could tell he was armed, but it’s scary seeing someone with a gun especially if you can tell they’re inexperienced,” he smiled slightly at the memory, “Even my dad was scared. He didn’t expect it, I could tell. The guy drove off and I never saw the suit again. Couldn’t really catch his face in the dark, so I might’ve actually seen the guy again I just couldn’t tell,” he narrowed his eyes to the dated, tiled floor, “It was weird now that I think back to it. He backed away with his hands raised, but he didn’t look scared.”

No one responded. Their imaginations only painted the Nara’s story out in different variations and settings. He looked up to find everyone still staring to him, “Any of you have stories since we’re all associated with gangbangers?” He half joked, taking a seat next to Hanabi.

Sasuke averted his eyes uncomfortably.

Neji looked to the tile.

“One time,” Hinata began unexpectedly, “I was followed. I missed the bus back home and Neji had a club meeting. I couldn’t call Dad because he was working, but I wanted to pick Hanabi up from practice, so I walked to her school. I might have just been paranoid, but there was a car that I thought I saw multiple times before I got to Hanabi’s school.”

Shikamaru and Neji looked to one another.

“It was a black car. I always looked over my shoulder and pretended to be on a phone call. I was scared but kept telling myself to calm down and that I was paranoid,” she fiddled with her fingers, “But, once I go there, I didn’t see the car anymore, so I never said anything.”

“When was this?” Neji asked, looking to the girl who took a seat on the mattress.

“Right before you started getting into trouble,” she answered, “It happened really close to it.”

Neji’s pulse quickened. Tsunade had either lied about the Akatsuki not knowing about the girls or the Akatsuki had pretended to know nothing. Either way, the girls and their father were on their radar.

“Sasuke,” Shikamaru spoke, “Any stories?” Neji had told him about the one with Shisui already, so the question was odd.

Sasuke who still stood in the corner opposite to Haku looked to the Nara before glancing to the three Hyuga. Again, it was a strange regretful look that only begged to be silent all while wishing to speak. Surely the Nara had noticed it too, Neji figured. Then, the Hyuga caught Shikamaru’s eyes. The Nara’s were calm but looked as if they were suspicious of something without being too suggestive.

Sasuke shook his head before heading into the bathroom.

Shikamaru watched him and Neji watched the Nara. He was unsure of the reason behind the boy’s apparent distaste towards the Uchiha or why he had put him on the spot so suddenly.

“Do not pry,” Neji ordered.

“I’m not,” Shikamaru assured before standing.

Neji kept his eyes on the Nara as he peeled his hood from his head and went through their money bag, “Well, you made him uncomfortable.”

Shikamaru continued to count the money as he raised his brows as if he doubted it somehow.

Neji knitted his own as he watched the Nara display the sudden rudeness.

“I’m gonna go get whatever I can find and bring it back for the night,” Shikamaru announced before looking to Neji, “Coming?” He asked as he stuffed the money into his back pocket.

. . .

“Why do you dislike Sasuke?” Neji asked as they walked down the hill that stood over the impoverished town.

“I don’t,” Shikamaru put simply without backing up the statement. He walked with his hands in his pockets and continued without looking to the Hyuga who studied him looking for hints.

“Then, what was that in the room?”

“What?”

“You asked him about something you already knew then stared at him with a distrustful look,” Neji pointed out.

“I trust him,” Shikamaru’s responses were short without any back up at all, “you misread me.”

“Then, what is it?” Neji asked.

“Nothing,” the Nara maintained his easy pace.

Neji did not believe him, but he figured he would never get a clear answer from the boy, so there was no use in pressure.

. . .

Shikamaru leaned against the outer wall of the small building that was slim with multiple floors. It, like the beach house, did not have glass panes, only open windows which allowed the smoke from the kitchen to pour from each wall. The aroma from the eatery poured through the street packed with street dogs. The smell attracted them and the town’s people alike. It did not seem as though there were many choices to choose from as far as restaurants, so Shikamaru did not have a hard time placing the same exact order as before.

Neji stood next to him with his arms folded behind his back. He would occasionally lean forward to peer around the Nara. He then looked to Shikamaru who seemed a bit more mellow than usual. The boy stared to the sky without ever refocusing his attention ever since he placed the order. Neji looked to the sky as well. It looked as if it would rain soon. He hoped the order would not take as long as last time, but tonight’s crowd would not promise it. He thought of Sasuke’s story told to him by Izumi. He pictured a smaller Sasuke standing at the front of an alley, watching as his beloved cousin took the form of something else -- something that was alien – momentarily to ensure the safety of his family. Sadly, back then the younger boy hadn’t known it was a life or death situation. Neji wondered how much it took for the boy to stay quiet, to feel comfortable around Shisui again, to be the same after such an experience. For, no child could watch someone they trusted bashing in the head of a stranger without developing some sort of mental abnormality. Neji wondered if the Uchiha was old enough to understand the concept of death by then. He truly wondered how old he had been. Neji furrowed his brows to the sky, shutting his eyes at the first rain drop that fell coolly against his cheek.

“Let’s go,” the Nara said, distancing himself from the wall to head inside and squeeze himself as closely the others as he could.

Neji followed him and did the same amongst the strangers that awaited their plates, but his mind continued to pity the Uchiha. It was years ago. Surely it had to be as traumatizing as a loss witnessing a murder if not more. Neji remembered the day Hiashi told them of the news. The man had barely recovered before he told him that their mother had died in an accident. She was out on her own. Hiashi asked her to run an errand for her because of a meeting he had. Typically, Hiashi would run errands on the weekends but a project was overdue, and it had to be discussed between him and his boss. He was a busy body, but he was beyond his comfortable level of stress, so he asked the woman for the simple favor not knowing he was sending her to her death or as the man had referred to it. Neji tried to convince the man that he had not in fact sent her to her demise, that it was only a freak accident nothing more. He remembered the night he was lying awake in bed and heard the front door slam. Hiashi had rushed out to the hospital. Once the man returned however, he found that Neji had waited for him to return. That was when he told Neji of what happened. Hiashi could not hide his own emotions, so he could not hide the truth. Neji was the first to know since his sisters were still asleep. The night was thunderous, but rain did not pour. The sky was only loud to disrupt the bit of peace that had been ripped from them in an instant. Neji remembered feeling numb for hours afterwards. He wanted to know how or why, but he could not bring himself to ask. He never found out where it had occurred but it took place late at night once she had finished the errands. She was making a final stop to purchase a single rolling pin so she could make a pie with the three of them for the first time ever. Neji had been excited for it which is why he first thought he was crying over the loss of the dessert, but it stung more when he thought of the feeling the woman gave him. It was kind and forever supportive. She was a safety net in so many things and would go through anything to make sure the three of them had what they needed without fail. He remembered asking his father months later how it had happened, what killed her. Hiashi had said she fell. She fell and hit her head.

Neji watched the floor in between the tens of feet that filled the small area.

She had fallen and hit her head at night. She was only out for the rolling pin. She had to go to the grocery store. Neji wondered which. He thought of the few around them. There was one by the school, another by a pharmacy, and another by…

Neji’s eyes widened. No. He double checked. There was one by the school, another by a pharmacy, and another by…

“A laundromat,” he mumbled.

Shikamaru looked to Neji curiously after the long silence they held.

Shisui told Sasuke to wait in a laundromat that night.

“She was… she never fell,” he whispered.

Shikamaru could not hear the Hyuga over the mixture of shouts and the kitchen’s sizzling in the tight space combined with the heavy downpour just outside. Still, he watched Neji’s face that froze stiffly with shock. The revelation had brought all of his past emotions back anew. Shikamaru’s stare softened before Neji looked to him.

“She never fell,” he repeated.

Shikamaru’s expression showed of his pity. The Nara’s lack of words told the Hyuga of how he had figured it out before then. It was why he had looked so strangely towards Sasuke since he had heard the story coming from Neji. The Hyuga recognized this. It did nothing but make him feel worse. Their mother had been brutally beaten until she was unconscious then eventually left on the pavement lifeless in the rain that had not touched their house. It only rained on her.

“She…” he began, keeping his eyes to the Nara. His voice grew quiet again. He wished that the same numbness from that night would return. He did not wish to feel what he felt right then and there. “She was…” Their mother was murdered by Shisui Uchiha, the same man that died in front of him, the same man that he had pitied for so long. Sasuke had been there, Sasuke had seen who it was surely which had to be why he looked to Neji so pitifully. Neji placed a hand over his mouth, wrapping his other arm around himself as tears threatened to fall. He took deep breath after deep breath as the room suddenly began to become too much. Though his mind was far from there, he still felt the room. He felt a hand ease itself onto his shoulder as he watched the smoke waft from the kitchen. After allowing the hand to rest there, an arm comfortably followed until the Nara had the male wrapped in a side hold. He too watched the kitchen and together they stood with nothing to say as Neji began to relapse.

“Order for Shikamaru!”


	55. Chapter 55

He stood over the chipped bathroom sink and stared to the rusted drain. He had barely made it past the door before his sisters began to ask what was wrong. He couldn’t tell them; he didn’t have the heart to tell them that their mother had been murdered as opposed to have fallen accidentally on one cursed day. It would have been too much after so many years of settling and adjusting. Sooner than he appreciated it, there was a knock at the bathroom door. It was light which told him it was Hinata. He rubbed his face and stared to himself in the mirror to look for anything that might have led onto his current state of being before opening the door. He offered a light smile.

“I’m not feeling well,” he put simply before the girl could ask a third time.

Hinata stood there, studying the male. Eventually Neji eased his way from the bathroom and around the girl who did not seem to be letting up. It was still pouring outside and was louder than he had ever heard it before. It could have been due to the roof needing maintenance or because of his sudden fragility. He made sure to avoid facing the girl for too long as to not concern her further.

“Neji, what happened?” Hinata asked before looking to Shikamaru, “What happened?”

The Nara stared to her before looking to the hotel floor. It was not his place to say much of anything, so he simply avoided answering at all. Sasuke only looked to Shikamaru before he eyed the three Hyuga one by one, stopping at Neji who caught his glance. This time, the Hyuga did not let up. It was not a look of resentment; it was more so pain and it stung even the Uchiha who had barely opened his mouth along the trip.

“Neji,” Hinata tried again.

“We should sleep,” her elder brother said suddenly, keeping his eyes on the Uchiha and his back to Hinata.

The girl went quiet. She stared to his backside seemingly looking for another way to go about it before deciding it was late. He could open up more tomorrow. The possibility seemed slim, but it was there, so she gathered her younger sister and walked around Neji to leave the boys for the night. Sasuke, Shikamaru and Neji stood there alone. Haku had gone to the girl’s room some time ago and lied in the same spot as last night and showed no desire to move or speak. So, now it was just the three of them.

“You knew,” Neji began.

Sasuke was silent.

“You knew and did nothing.”

“What could he have done?” Shikamaru spoke up. Though Neji knew this was a fair point, it was hard to listen to.

“Turned his cousin in!”

Sasuke clenched his fists. His face remained calm as he watched the Hyuga. Each of them knew the police would’ve done nothing. Neji immediately regretted his harshness and looked to the bed beside him. Finally, he gave in and crossed his arms. He held them tightly against his chest struggling to keep a level head. Sasuke’s gaze dropped since the Hyuga’s pain-filled white eyes left him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know who she was until I saw the pictures at your house, then I...” the Uchiha began.

“What good is your apology if you are not the one at fault,” Neji said quietly, “There was nothing you could have done. You were young, a witness.” He was mostly telling himself rather than the Uchiha. He then covered his eyes with a single hand and stood unmoving.

The other two averted their attention, not being able to watch the Hyuga in such a state. They listened as he sat against the bed, defeated by his own emotions. Now, his two hands covered his face as he stifled anything that would give the rest of his brokenness away.

Shikamaru debated on walking out. However, Sasuke took it upon himself to do so in his place. He walked through the door after determining that his presence only made matters worse. Just looking at someone who could have gotten Neji justice long ago only to allow it to expire ought to have been blood curdling. So, the Nara stood there alone and clueless as to what to do. He leaned away from the shut window and looked towards the door.

“Don’t,” Neji spoke through his hands before allowing them to fall against his legs, “Don’t go,” he sighed.

Shikamaru watched the male whose head hung low. He was unsure of how to comfort him. Comforting one after embarrassment – the cheer tryouts -- was different from supporting someone whose mother was apparently murdered rather than had suffered a fatal accident. However, just looking at the damage that the Akatsuki had put on Neji was hard. He had done nothing to deserve it. He was once one of the top students in his class, giving his time to those in the community that needed it. He minded his own and did anything to protect his sisters even when the only threat was a hot-headed jock. Even now when the tides had changed, he protected them, only this time it was from a dreadful truth that he had to endure himself. Shikamaru could tell the Hyuga would never tell the girls just by looking at how it had thrown him through the trauma all over again as if the woman had just died yesterday. The Nara looked to the door before walking towards the bed slowly. He eased himself down onto the bed next to Neji whose head was still lowered heavily. The Nara had no clue what he should do. He felt for the male, he truly did, but there was only so much he could do or say that would even reach the Hyuga.

“Well,” Neji began, surprising the boy next to him. The senior then turned to where he faced Shikamaru directly. His lashes were damp, but he had done an impressive job in covering the brief shed of tears. He let out a heavy breath, “I’m sorry for keeping you here.”

Shikamaru furrowed his brows and slowly shook his head slowly as he looked to the floor feeling as though he were intruding just by looking at the elder male’s distraught expression.

“You can go,” Neji said, mirroring the boy in looking to their feet.

Shikamaru repeated the same gesture without a word; he slowly shook his head.

Neji only watched it in the corner of his eye before lying back against the bed. He stared to the battered roof before shutting his tear-tired eyes. He then felt the bed weigh down next to him. The Hyuga then placed his arm across his own teary eyes.

The Nara lied there next to the Hyuga in the room that was so brightly lit by a single ceiling light that would buzz and flicker occasionally. He lied there and allowed Neji to cry silently to himself all over again though he knew the Hyuga tried not to. Shikamaru was uncomfortable, not because the elder male wept but because he couldn’t do a thing about it. Finally, Shikamaru turned his hooded head to the side to look at the Hyuga in his vulnerable state. Neji was biting his lip to quiet himself as another tear rolled down to his ear. Shikamaru looked to the ceiling once more before he placed a hand to the Hyuga’s shoulder. Neji welcomed the touch and turned towards the Nara who wasted no time in holding onto the Hyuga. It was as if some sort of ice had been broken. It was a shield of ice that kept Shikamaru from reaching out to Neji as much as he had desired in the past especially today with everything crashing down on the elder. Now, with the blockade gone, Shikamaru held onto Neji as if he would melt away with the ice. He held on tight and allowed him to soak his collar in tears. He rubbed his back as his top heated up with breaths from his silent weeps. They could’ve been tears finally resulting from grief, irritation, uncertainty, or fear. Still, he did not mind; he hardly noticed anything apart from his current task in securing the Hyuga or at least giving the best illusion of security since it wasn’t anything he could promise.

. . .

“What do you mean you didn’t see him last night?” Shikamaru asked as he ran down the outdoor hotel steps.

“I didn’t see him when I went into the girl’s room, then I fell asleep,” Sasuke explained a second time as he ran behind the Nara.

“Well, then where the fuck did he go?” The Nara asked as they parted from the steps and began running down the hill.

“I thought he stayed with them,” Neji said.

“Well, apparently not. Haku!” Shikamaru yelled as they ran.

“Haku!” Neji called. Sasuke joined in before they all began calling in a chorus.

“We should split up,” Neji said.

“Itachi told us not to,” Sasuke snapped.

Neji looked to the Uchiha’s gun that stuck out of his waist band, “We have two guns. We need to cover more ground sooner.”

“He’s right,” Shikamaru agreed as he continued to look all around them.

Sasuke looked back to the Nara and narrowed his eyes before kick starting into a run in another direction, leaving the two without further commentary.

“Let’s go,” Shikamaru ordered continuing in a sprint.

. . .

“Haku!” Shikamaru called.

Neji followed him and searched through the alleys on the right as the Nara searched the left.

“This could take forever,” the Nara complained after determining another alley was no different from the last twenty.

“We have to find him,” Neji argued.

Shikamaru grumbled, “Haku!” He called.

The second Neji turned to peer down another alley, he heard a gunshot that was so loud it was almost as if it were right in front of him. It immediately spiked his pulse, causing him to jerk his head to see what had happened to find Shikamaru holding his arm that went limp at the wrist. He dropped the gun meaning the shot had to have come from somewhere else. Neji stepped back into the alley that he determined was empty, careful not to get too close to the attacker so they could have numbers to their advantage. He then spun to quickly rummage through a trash pile. He frowned and fought against gagging at some of the things his hands came across. Finally, he found an old pipe about the size of a baseball bat, if not larger. He then dragged it behind him and peaked around the corner of the building he had used as cover. His eyes widened at the sight of red dripping between the Nara’s fingers. A man stood before Shikamaru with a gun pointed to his head. Soon, two others joined the man. They wore their guns where the Nara could see them to further discourage the boy. Neji watched the first man place his finger on the trigger before jumping out from behind the building to catch his attention.

“Shikamaru!” Neji yelled to distract the men as quickly as he could.

“No,” the Nara exhaled.

The man turned to the Hyuga with a smug smile before firing, piercing Neji through the arm, making him drop the pipe, but it was enough for Shikamaru to lift the gun with his nondominant hand and fire at the man who had shot Neji. Only, his shot was more fatal. He got the man in the neck. The stranger held onto the injury as red spilled between the cracks of his fingers. Blood welled up from his mouth as he fell to his knees, staring wide eyed to the boy who had shot him. The two other men, startled by the sudden shot, moved back and watched as their apparent ringleader bled to death before equipping their own guns, aiming them to the Nara. Before the first could fire, Haku came from behind and jumped onto his back, temporarily blinding him with the tight hold of his arms. The third member grabbed his gun from his pocket and aimed for Haku only for his arm to be broken by a heavy, metallic pipe. The man yelled harshly as he fell. Neji dropped the pipe before falling to his own knees. His arm was still limp from the bullet he had taken, and it was hard to shift his attention from the pain that tore through his conscious. The man whose arm hung awkwardly used his good hand to aim for Neji only to be shot straight through the head. His eyes went blank before his arm dropped to the sandy dirt, ultimately falling backwards himself.

Finally, the second man fought Haku off, dropping the boy to the ground. Still, Haku stood and grabbed his arm before moving out of the aim of the gun. They continued to wrestle as Shikamaru struggled to find a good aim with his wobbling hand. Neji looked to him and stood, grabbing the gun himself since it was not his dominant arm that had been injured. He remembered the Nara’s instructions and replicated them as best as he could as he aimed to the man. He tried for the heart and pulled the trigger, piercing the man through a lower area of his back. The man yelled in agony before falling to the dirt. Haku snatched the gun from the man and stepped away. All three of them watched the man as he moaned into the dirt.

Each of the fallen men wore suits that were out of place considering the area, “You’re working for them, aren’t you?” Shikamaru asked between painful pants.

“I’m not telling you shit,” the man said through a dirty smile. It was obvious that he was either sided with the Senju or Akatsuki.

Haku stepped up and aimed the gun to the man’s head without any apparent feeling in his face.

“Wait!” Shikamaru held out a hand. Haku did not fire, but he stared to the pitiful man who lied helplessly on the ground, “How did you find us?” The Nara asked.

“Fugaku Uchiha,” the man fessed before grunting, “I don’t get the point of running. We’re everywhere.”

Haku kept his stare cold and hard against the man. He never took his finger from the trigger.

Shikamaru stared to the man before looking to Neji as they wondered just how deeply the betrayal went. “How did…” The Nara began before another sharp gunshot ripped through the street.

The man died at Haku’s hands. Neji and Shikamaru stared to the man before looking to Haku who still stood, eyeing the man that bled against the infertile dirt. He seemed more lifeless than when he had claimed his first kill. Even Shikamaru was still shaken by his own first kill but not Haku. Haku was too calm. It was almost as if the dancer had never fired the gun.

“Haku,” Neji breathed uneasily, noticing the eerie trait that began to develop.

Said boy stepped over the body and towards Neji who flinched just a bit before the cold-blooded boy kneeled down to observe his wound. Haku then looked to Shikamaru’s hand. Seeing those who sided with him injured seemed to bring the smallest bit of life back to his dark brown eyes.

They heard rushed footsteps and looked up the dirt path to find Sasuke emerge from down the road. He stared to the group before rushing after them, surely lured by the gun shots. His father had ratted them out, and it would have to be news that conflicted the Uchiha for a while, but they needed to know who they could trust. Shikamaru continued to hold his wrist as he looked back to the ringleader that lied lifeless. He wondered if he could trust his word about Fugaku. He wondered if the dead man had a reason to lie. Finally, he wondered if Sea Country had a hospital worth going to.


	56. Chapter 56

The two that were injured sat in the cramped waiting room that held countless others that did not seem like they should have been waiting at all. Each person’s injury was exposed and just as gruesome as the next. Shikamaru couldn’t take his eyes away from a man whose leg was sliced open. He didn’t blame him for wailing. Not too far from him was a woman who was in labor who yelled just as loudly. There was a boy whose head bled from what was most likely an awkward fall. He then turned to find a woman who sat unconscious, foaming at the mouth. Now he wondered more than ever about the state of Sea Country. He eyed Neji who refused to observe the room. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly as he held his arm. The Nara remembered the bus rides to school and the story he had told of Hiashi locating the hidden object in his closet. He knew the Hyuga had a weak stomach and would not be able to handle each scene before them.

The room’s doors opened to reveal what was supposed to be a doctor, but he wore no personal protection equipment or scrubs of any kind. He wore regular clothing; it was something you’d see on the streets daily. He wore worn jeans and a sweated-out t-shirt that was bloodied by past patients. It was disheartening.

“I’m sorry. We’ve seen our last patient for today,” he announced.

All hell seemed to break loose as Shikamaru stared in disbelief.

The doctor answered no one before turning back and locking the doors that led to the rest of the building.

“What?” Neji asked, opening his eyes to look for the voice he had heard only for his eyes to sweep past the leg of the man who sat in agony. The Hyuga covered his mouth and looked away before leaning forward. Shikamaru rubbed his back trying to think of what to do next to the best of his ability with the chaotic yells and complaints raging on all around them.

. . .

Shikamaru wasn’t planning on using their allowance on patching up bullet wounds, but they didn’t have much choice given that the hospital didn’t have enough funding to treat so many patients that the Nara assumed weren’t paying enough to keep its doors open.

The cashier stared to their bloody wounds casually as he counted the total due. Shikamaru looked to the price. It was higher than he expected. It was higher than it should have been. He fought to urge to scowl at the cashier who held his eyes as if he were an honest worker. Shikamaru slapped the money over the counter and took the bag, keeping his judgmental eyes on the man who had more than likely scammed them. He would have debated it if he weren’t in so much pain.

The two headed towards the mart’s restroom to apply whatever was available to them. They were only able to find disinfectant and bandages on the shelves. As soon as Shikamaru opened the restroom door he stopped, “Close your eyes,” he ordered.

“Why?” Neji asked.

“It’s gross.”

The Hyuga shut his eyes not needing anymore persuasion. The Nara guided him inside and stood the both of them before the single sink that sat next to three abused urinals and two stalls, one of which no longer had a door.

Neji listened to the water run and waited for his next order.

Shikamaru stared to the water unsure of whether the water would be clean or not. Given the rest of the area, his guess was no, so the blood would have to be scrubbed off with a wipe, but he did not wish to be scammed by the worker up front again. He sighed, “Stay here.”

He exited the restroom and looked around for the vanity items section before looking to the worker who counted today’s earnings. The Nara crouched and wandered towards the bathroom essentials, swiping disinfectant wipes from the shelf before creeping back to the restroom.

Neji heard the door open and turned towards it, “Shikamaru?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. I’m gonna clean the blood with wipes then pour the alcohol on the wound, okay?”

Neji nodded with a frown.

Shikamaru let out a single breath as the Hyuga carefully removed his shirt due to the wound being higher than his sleeves’ ability to roll up. Neji hissed as he worked his arm out of the sleeve. Truth be told, Shikamaru had no experience with this and only knew that he should not attempt to remove the bullet on his own, so he used his elementary knowledge on pouring alcohol on it and hoped for the best. The Nara reached out and pat the blood that had trickled down his arm with a wet wipe. The higher up he moved, the more tense Neji got. Shikamaru watched the Hyuga knit his brows in discomfort. Shikamaru slowly scrubbed the dried blood away and watched Neji for any signs that told him to stop. One sweep just a hair higher caused Neji to reach out and clench the Nara’s shoulder sharply.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop,” he said quietly. He didn’t know how they’d do this. He let Neji take his tension out through his grip on his shoulder and waited for him to calm back down, “I’ll just work on my hand,” he said to give Neji time to relax. The Nara turned towards the sink and wiped around the puncture with a clean wipe after tossing the other into the trash can. He hissed now knowing what the elder male had felt. Shikamaru sucked his lips in and pressed his forehead against the mirror, looking to his hand as he tried his hardest to force the wipe right around the bullet. He clenched his eyes shut and grunted before pouring the alcohol over the wound to hopefully kill any alien agents that might have found comfort in the opening, “Shit,” he hissed. He then looked to Neji through his pained eyes knowing that the sounds he was making would probably further discourage the Hyuga, “Sorry,” Shikamaru apologized weakly. “Okay,” he began as he wrapped the wound in bandages, “You ready?”

Neji’s frown deepened once the Nara faced him.

. . .

The two walked through the dark streets worn out from the prolonged pain that had hindered them all throughout the day.

“I hope they found a phone,” Shikamaru spoke. Neji nodded in agreement.

Sasuke and Haku took it upon themselves to search for a pay phone before leaving Shikamaru and Neji to seek medical treatment earlier that same day.

“Why did Haku leave the hotel?” Neji asked knowing the Nara would know just about as much as him.

“No idea,” Shikamaru admitted, “Maybe he wanted some fresh air,” he said sarcastically. Both of them knew the male had wandered off on the boat as well as that morning. It was a pattern that began just as his murderous nature grew, both of which were unsettling. “We need to leave this place.”

. . .

“We found a pay phone, but it was broken,” Sasuke said as he and Haku entered the boy’s room where the rest of the group waited.

“Broken?” Hinata echoed as she stood.

Shikamaru leaned back in his chair. His lids were as heavy as ever as he contemplated each factor.

“Could it have been broken deliberately?” Neji asked.

“The damage looked pretty new,” the Uchiha said.

“Someone doesn’t want us reaching inland,” the Nara mumbled as he rubbed his eyes with a palm, “Could’ve been those guys we took out.”

“Took out?” Hanabi asked.

None of the teens elaborated before moving on.

“The guy said Fugaku Uchiha sent them to us,” Shikamaru informed, avoiding Sasuke’s gaze of disbelief.

“My dad?” Sasuke questioned, “He wouldn’t put us in danger like that. He’s the one who told me to go with Itachi in the first place.”

“Yeah, which explains why the guys didn’t aim to kill. They got us in places we couldn’t bleed out and die from,” the Nara pointed out, raising his bandaged hand, “Yeah, the guy had this creepy grin, but I don’t think he was lying.”

Sasuke furrowed his brows as he looked to the ground as if connecting dots, “But why would he…”

Shikamaru shrugged, “Maybe he worked out some deal or something back home.”

“Deal?” The Uchiha questioned.

The other shook his head cluelessly, “Maybe he wants his son back, but the way those guys went about it was kinda…”

“They seemed as if they were told it did not matter what state we were in as long as they got to us,” Neji added.

Shikamaru nodded slowly.

“Isn’t this place supposed to be secret?” Hanabi asked as she stared nervously to Shikamaru’s bloody bandage.

“Well, clearly we walked into something that isn’t exactly uncharted,” the lazy junior said, “We might’ve been better off with the Senju. They made us work for free but at least they didn’t shoot us.”

Neji gripped the forearm of his injury.

“I say we find our way off this island. I don’t know what either of them want, but it’s a matter of picking the lesser of two evils at this point,” Shikamaru said as he stood from the old chair, “We’ll get on the boat tomorrow and head back and call Itachi then since our communication’s been conveniently cut off,” he put sarcastically, “and when we go,” he looked to Haku, “everyone stay together whether you think you’re attracting danger or not.”

Haku averted his gaze.

Neji thought over his words. He had to have been right regarding Haku’s wandering off. The dancer had brought the stranger to the beach house. He could also know more than the rest of them which is why he most likely continued to distance himself. Considering Haku’s reaction to the Nara’s specifics, Shikamaru had pinpointed the issue.

The Nara then dropped his uninjured hand into his pocket and looked away nonchalantly, “It’s a long walk from here. We should get some sleep.”

”If it was Fugaku that sent the ones that attacked you, can we trust Itachi?” Hinata asked worriedly, hoping that she understood enough for it to be a valid question.

Shikamaru thought over the events that played out while they were in Itachi’s hands, “oh, yeah,” he guaranteed.

”How?” Hanabi questioned.

”My brother would never betray me or anyone I stood with,” Sasuke swore, narrowing his eyes. If his father had ordered men to escort his son back home and Itachi had broken his back to get them away, then the two had to be at odds. Still, he knew Itachi would only work in his younger brother’s best interest.

”And I think it plays a key role in his dedication to make sure we’re alive,” the Nara added, “he’s a good guy even if he has some sort of hero complex. I’m pretty sure he just doesn’t want a bunch of kids dying when he could’ve prevented it.”

It wasn’t exactly proof, but there were no more questions. They simply had to take chances.

. . .

The group neared the ferry nervously. They were weary of being stopped due to shooting three men in broad daylight only yesterday, but they only got stares as they boarded. The law enforcement must have been under funded as well as the medical centers. It was sad but worked out in their favor, so they did not dwell for too long.

Once they reached inland, they stood on the parking lot of gravel as Sasuke dialed his brother through his phone.

Neji looked to Haku who stood distant from the group as always. He wore his bookbag and stared to the ferry that had taken off for the island. The Hyuga approached Haku, hoping the male had realized they were on their side, “Did those men hurt you?” Neji asked as he joined the other in watching the large boat depart.

Haku shook his head luckily.

“They found you before we did,” Neji summed up considering how close he had been when they were in trouble.

Haku nodded.

“I’m sorry, Haku.”

They stood silently for a bit before the taller male turned to face the Hyuga questioningly.

“I’m sorry that you had to go through so much,” Neji continued as he looked to the waters that stirred in the wind, “It was never your fault and I hope you know that,” he faced Haku whose gaze had fallen, “Never feel guilty. You have done nothing deserving of guilt. You saved us, Haku. Thank you.”

Haku seemed to shrink in on himself at the acknowledgement. Neji only hoped that the male had heard his words before looking back out to the tides that rushed rapidly.

“He’s not picking up,” Sasuke announced to the group that seemed to now stand in pairs. The Uchiha kept his eyes on his phone as he typed a message to his elder brother.

“Try Izumi, Shikamaru suggested.

“She’s not picking up either.”

“Troublesome, anyone else we can trust?” The Nara asked.

“Dad,” Hanabi said.

The rest of the group looked to the girl before looking to Shikamaru who had made his leadership known all throughout the trip, “Sure,” he allowed.

Hanabi fished for Hinata’s cellular through the girl’s purple suitcase. She wasted no time dialing her father’s number and waited and waited until finally the line stopped ringing. She lit up, “Dad!”

Hinata and Neji’s eyes widened as they neared the girl.

“Mhm, yeah!” Hanabi spoke into the phone, “Right here. Okay.” She handed the phone to Neji who took it hurriedly.

“Hello?”

“Neji, I couldn’t reach any of you and Itachi would not answer any of my messages or calls. Where are you?” Hiashi asked desperately.

“We were in Sea Country,” Neji answered.

“What?! He didn’t tell me you were leaving the damned continent! No wonder the tracker was going mad! Where are you now?!”

“We are back in Fire Country, but we need transportation. Itachi is not answering us either,” he looked over the group that was antsy for some sort of lead on where to go from there, “can you come get us?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll take off work. You’re a while away, so figure out what to do until I get there. Did he at least give you money?”

“Yes, sir.” Neji could hear the man’s rage at a stranger leaving them abandoned without informing him of what he planned to do with his own children.

“Who all is there?” Hiashi asked.

“Me, Hanabi, Hinata, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and,” he looked to Haku who continued to watch the seas, “A boy named Haku.”

There was a silence that told Neji that the man was unsure of the unfamiliar name.

“He is in the same situation as us. We met him when we first disappeared in the mountains. He was abused for years, I’m sure. I only want him to be safe with us, please, father,” Neji shut his eyes, scared of the answer. He knew the Nara was an added responsibility not too long ago and now he was asking the man to adjust to another troubled youth that had little to nothing to do with him.

There was a heavy sigh, “It makes no sense for me to drive so far only to abandon another child that’s been led astray,” he grumbled. Neji could see the man massaging the bridge of his nose before his desk now.

“Thank you so much. Thank you.” Neji’s response caught the attention of Haku who still seemed so uncertain of his own position in the world around him.

“Just find somewhere to stay until I arrive,” the man’s voice already told of his stress from the long drive.


	57. Chapter 57

The group sat in a diner and did their best to shove their luggage beneath the table. On one side sat the Hyuga siblings. On the other sat the rest as they waited for their food. Hanabi sat closest to the window and had fallen asleep against the table and Neji hadn’t the heart to wake her. They had walked miles through the highway to the first exit. A man who drove a van offered to drive them, but after everything had been said and done, none of them trusted a single stranger, so they continued to walk. Even Hanabi stayed silent over the matter, refraining from protesting the elders’ decision. They all got stares just like they had in Sea Country, but they no longer felt them as easily. It was odd to see so many young people with the bags that they carried. Not only that, but they also arrived by foot as opposed to a car. Everything about them would raise red flags especially with the Nara’s poorly bandaged hand which bandages were stained red.

It was midday now and each of them were worn. However, all it took was for one person to enter the diner for their alerts to be raised all over again. It was a policeman that seemed to be looking for much more than a simple coffee.

. . .

The six sat in a row of chairs as they watched the policeman stare down at them silently. He wore aviator sunglasses that hid the emotion that his lips failed to portray.

Each one of them stared with eyes either puffy from a disrupted nap or ones that were afraid of the outcome. They wore hand cuffs which told them they had been reported for the shootout in Sea Country. The officer’s silence only made the situation all the more tensing.

“We don’t ask for much,” the officer finally spoke to each of them as he paced slowly towards Haku, “We only asked for a few favors and you ran off, so I had to come get you,” he began as he studied the male, “I’m only following orders here. Come on, fix your faces, you’re making my job harder.”

None of their faces altered.

The man sighed at the sight of kids who looked to him as if he were some sort of terrorist, “I don’t even know what he wants from you if I’m being honest.” Still no response. He then looked to Hinata and approached her. Neji stared to him without blinking once, so the officer stopped right before the Hyuga and eyed him instead, “You’re protective aren’t you.”

“What do you want?” Shikamaru finally asked.

“Well you, knowing who we are, probably are aware that you’re not being arrested,” he shook his head with a smile at the preposterous idea, “I’m just waiting for your ride to get here.”

“Ride?” Sasuke asked.

“Yup, you’re going home. The rest of you, not so much.”

“Where are we going?” Hanabi asked.

“You, honey, are going home with your sister,” the man said as if it were the best news she had ever received.

“What about Neji?” The girl asked nervously.

“He’s going to see someone very important,” the officer said as he pulled up his pant legs and crouched before her, “Don’t worry. No harm will come to him. And besides, he won’t be alone,” he said placing a hand to her head.

“Don’t touch her,” Neji ordered, getting the man to back away in a mock of a surrender.

The officer then looked to Shikamaru finally, “He’ll have this guy with him to keep him company.”

Shikamaru furrowed his brows to the man, showing the most emotion he had shown since stepping foot in the station. Even being this close to Sea Country, on the other side of their home continent, the police were corrupted, tainted with moles. There was no doubt in his mind that they didn’t stop there, “What do you guys want?”

“I told you I don’t know what’s going on, I just take care of the hands-on stuff at the bottom. The guy up top is a man of his word, though. If he says you guys won’t be killed then you should be fine,” the policeman said casually removing his phone from his pocket, “Usually.”

. . .

They were allowed to sleep in a cell for the time being due to the late hour and the officer’s shift being over. It was night and the group was placed together in the single cell, so the night guard could keep watch over them until either ride showed up. The men who were supposed to take Neji and Shikamaru seemed to be taking their time getting there from wherever it was they were stationed.

“This is a real drag. We should’ve just stayed and did whatever they told us to. We wouldn’t have gotten in trouble if this is the way they have a hold over the cops,” the Nara said.

“We could not stay. You know how merciless they were when they killed him,” Neji said referring to his grandfather.

“Right,” the Nara said before leaning his head back against the wall, shutting his eyes, “You think your dad is gonna beat them in getting here?”

“What does it matter?” Neji shot back.

Shikamaru pretended to wince at the Hyuga’s bite before shutting his mouth for the rest of the night.

“Neji?”

The Hyuga turned to find his youngest sister calling for him. He walked and sat on the cold ground right next to her.

“Where are you going?” She asked.

“I’m unsure, but I will be fine,” he offered an empty promise that the girl knew he couldn’t be sure of.

She only stared to him hopelessly.

“Sleep,” he said.

Shikamaru watched the two as they conversed before looking to Haku who sat in a corner much as always. It was as if he had made no progress. He wondered what would become of the quiet boy.

“Alright, let’s go,” a familiar voice sounded before a man with slicked back silver hair presented himself. He wore a red leather jacket with red leather pants and shoes. His glasses were silver framed with red lenses. He wore a silver chain around his neck and chewed on a toothpick with a grin. The night guard tossed the keys to the man for him to unlock the cell himself. The bars rattled open, “Come on, I don’t have all night,” he said to the two boys that had yet to stand.

. . .

He raced through the freeway dangerously. Neji and Shikamaru sat in the middle row of the SUV that seated other men in the back who held guns which kept the boy’s in place. They still wore handcuffs and were never told of where they were going.

“I mean all you had to do was play along and do what you were told. My boss is a pretty patient guy, but you guys have been testing him ever since you started running. Honestly, what more could you want? He spared your uncle, your cousins, your dad, your dad too,” he said, looking to the Nara in the rearview mirror. He was not easy on the gas as he continued to weave through the cars on the wide roadway, “He doesn’t ask for much, now you’re gonna get it.”

“Are we going to be killed?” Neji asked, now doubting the officer’s word.

“My boss doesn’t care for killing as much as playing games, and that’s what he was doing with you; he was playing games, but you took it too seriously and tried to cheat the game. That’s not how it works, you have to understand that,” he explained passionately as he delivered a chop to the steering wheel as if emphasizing his point, “He ordered your dads to do one thing and that’s it, but they decided they wanted an early retirement, but you don’t walk out on him like that. If he hadn’t done that some time back, that lady would still be alive.”

Shikamaru wished that he could check on Neji after his wording, but the men had placed blind folds on the both of them. He supposed it was to prevent them from knowing the location of their destination.

Her death had been a result of Hizashi’s antics. Of course, it had been. He should not have been surprised but having it all laid out packed an extra gut-wrenching punch that sent anger bubbling through his veins.

“Maybe if he hadn’t of ran, we wouldn’t of had to stalk your whole family, you wouldn’t have been scared off, your uncle wouldn’t have tried to snitch which led to your grandpa getting killed. See, there’s just a web of things that could’ve been prevented had your dad stayed his ass at the warehouse and told jobless assholes what to do with the fucking powder,” he finished before placing a cigarette between his lips, lighting it and coming close to crashing, “Son of a bitch!” He yelled as he honked the horn.

Neji was stunned.

Shikamaru sunk in his seat, afraid that he would be launched because of the man’s reckless driving.

“Anyways, look at you now, stuck between a rock and a hard place all because your daddy decided he didn’t like his job. He shoulda thought about that before taking up an offer from some sketchy douche in the street,” he chuckled, “fucking idiot. I would say sorry for insulting your father, but I have a feeling you want him dead, so yeah, no, he’s a fucking idiot,” he laughed as he jerked the wheel.

The Nara held onto his seat as the Hyuga sat, emptily facing to his own lap. The anger towards Hizashi multiplied and it seemed to lead to him dissociating for a second before he faced his car door window. Although the Nara did not get a glimpse of the Hyuga’s eyes, he knew his aura was darkening with hatred. Neji’s cuffed hands balled into fists that he wished he could wrap around the Hizashi’s neck. All either of them could do was stay silent as the man went on and on, worsening Neji’s image of his biological father.

. . .

Finally, the car rolled to a stop, but Neji did not notice due to still seeing the world as a cloth wrapped tightly around his eyes. Only when the door was opened for him was the blind fold removed. He was faced with a mansion, three times larger than that of his grandfather’s. It was massive in every aspect with a driveway that seemed to have lasted miles now that Neji stepped out and looked the way of which they came. Neji looked to find perfectly trimmed hedges and two water fountains at either side of a staircase that shrank in width the higher it went. At the top sat two tall doors where a man stood waiting their arrival it seemed. Shikamaru rounded the car to find the same view as the Hyuga. He saw the man who stood at the top of the stairs in a rather gaudy suit, one that he had aimed towards years ago.

. . .

The two boys followed behind the man as they walked through the tall, cool halls of the manor. It seemed as though there was a large, crystal chandelier every few steps.

“Welcome. I trust that you will find comfort in your stay,” the man finally spoke, “You can call me Orochimaru. Luckily for you, you’ll be staying up here until you learn the ropes,” he said, turning to face them at the top of a spiral of steps that glowed under the shine of the chandelier above it. It was the largest one they had seen yet, “I will order you two hors d’oeurvers. Show them their rooms,” he said with a gentle smile that would not be expected from a drug overlord.

The men who had been sitting in the back of the car then continued down the hall, but the boys froze for a moment staring to Orochimaru who continued to smile right at them, “Run along, now,” the man said before continuing down the stairs.

The two looked to one another before looking back over the golden railing then back down the hall. They walked and looked up and down the walkway before catching two men that waited for them at the end of the hall.

. . .

Neji entered his room with a ceiling just as high as the hall’s. There were paintings all along the ceiling that surrounded the chandelier, and the bed was regal with airy white curtains that wrapped all around it. It sat on golden pegs just over a large white rug with mystical swirls that were just off-white. The rug covered a portion of the white onyx flooring that stretched all throughout the room and even underneath dressers that matched the whites in the reflective floor. Its knobs were golden serpent heads and the more Neji looked, the more snakes he found slithering through the room’s décor. Even in the bed’s curtains were small, translucent snakes that made up the entirety of the fabric, and the swirls in the carpet were no swirls at all rather snakes that were printed on. It was only noticeable if one were to study each one closely. The tall, white door then opened and in walked one of the men from the car’s backseat. Only, now he carried a key which Neji assumed was meant to unlock him. The man unlocked the hand cuffs then felt him up and down for any weapons before leaving without a word. Neji stiffened at the feeling of the sudden and rough hands that traveled him but dismissed it once his mind began to wonder for the reason of the hospitality. It was odd considering that they were prisoners, but he had said it himself; they weren’t dealing with sane people.

. . .

“Kabuto, chopsticks please,” Orochimaru ordered a chef with white hair that wore glasses. The chef bowed and took for the kitchen leaving the three surrounded by guards that stood in the darkness of the dining room. Neji and Shikamaru sat across from each other with Orochimaru staring to them from the end. He folded his hands over the other and placed his chin against them, “You were injured,” he said, noting Shikamaru’s bandaged hand from earlier, “Do you mind me asking what happened?” He grinned. He had to have known.

“We were shot,” the Nara said nevertheless, “They got Neji in the shoulder.”

“My, you’re injured too?” Orochimaru feigned shock it seemed.

Neji looked to the plate that had yet to be served before him, “Yes,” he answered quietly.

“I can get you proper treatment. Something about the blood on that bandage tells me that neither of you had the necessary aid. No matter, I’ll have you fixed up shortly. For now, enjoy a meal,” Orochimaru said as Kabuto entered with a tray. He began to set everything down but the man at the end of the table never took his cunning eyes from the boys who were as uneasy as ever. “I hope neither of you are vegetarian; it would be a pity considering the dish I ordered for tonight.”

The two stared to the steaming meal before them. It was calamari sided with what seemed to be fugu sashimi, a risky dish if not cooked correctly.

“Enjoy,” he smiled.

The two of them were put off by the fish that could kill them if Kabuto were to have messed up the process in the kitchen. They looked to each other carefully, silently agreeing that eating could wait.

“Not hungry? Well, I’m sure you have questions. You are welcome to ask,” he put kindly as he crossed his leg.

“Why are we here?” Neji began, avoiding the man’s gaze.

“You are here for training,” Orochimaru answered, “Since your fathers left on duty without a reason as to why, you will replace them. Surely it will be just like they never left having you two working under my wing. It is not as if your fathers were irreplaceable after all,” he said as he used his golden chopsticks to place a piece of calamari into his mouth. He then looked back to Neji, waiting for the next question. The Hyuga looked back to Shikamaru.

“Where are they?” The Nara asked.

“Your fathers? I’m unsure. I told my men to locate them and bring them back, but after a while I told them they could bring them back dead or alive and if they chose to kill them, then they didn’t have to bother with bringing them back at all,” he neared his glass to his lips that curled evilly, “I’ve heard nothing, so I have no clue on the status of your parents. Sorry,” the apology was ingenuine.

Neji frowned before catching the Nara’s face that seemed to have stoned over. Shikamaru’s eyes fell back to his plate.

“But, if I hear anything regarding the men, I’ll be sure to let you know. Now, eat up, your training begins tomorrow.”


	58. Chapter 58

Neji sat in a cushioned seat in front of a vanity mirror that hung on the bathroom wall. He was shirtless and stared to the clean bandages on his arm. Orochimaru had been true to his word regarding their treatment. It was as good as new. Both he and Shikamaru were suspicious and uneasy with going under the anesthesia that the man just so happened to have, but Kabuto treated their wounds with care it seemed. Neji sighed and looked to the window that sat over the round bathtub on the other side of the restroom as he thought over everything that had happened that day. It was the afternoon of their second day there and their first day of training for a job neither of them remembered signing up for.

. . .

Orochimaru had sent someone to wake him up that morning, telling him to get ready and head downstairs. Neji did as told and met Orochimaru at the bottom of the steps. The Hyuga was tense with each step, but followed the man being left no other choice really. He asked of the Nara’s location to which Orochimaru answered, “training,” and he did it with the same oddly malicious smile that would be otherwise gentle to the eye if Neji didn’t know just what the man was.

Orochimaru led him to his office that was just as magnificent to the eye as the rest of the residence. They walked to the wall just behind his desk. It was a wall of books but opened to reveal an elevator. Its reveal only further unnerved Neji knowing that no such thing would be revealed to just anyone. Orochimaru didn’t have to say anything for the Hyuga to know that there would be dire consequences if the information were to leave the manor’s premises. Neji stepped in without having to be told. The bodyguard joined them and acted as an escort by pressing the elevator’s button which seemed to push them further and further underground. The elevator was not as easy on the eye as every other part of the mansion. It was a simple, metal elevator that was more cramped than the Hyuga had expected. He awkwardly bumped shoulders with Orochimaru and flinched away almost immediately.

“Excuse me,” Orochimaru said with a smile.

Once they reached the bottom after what felt like an entire minute, the doors opened slowly and the guard exited the lift, waiting for the two others to file out so he could follow them closely behind.

Neji looked around. It was a warehouse just as he had said over the dinner table the previous night. There were metallic shelves that stacked high over either of their heads combined. There were high light beams that hung from the concrete ceiling that he supposed quieted the place to a point of being undetectable by those higher up. That and the distance between the manor and the warehouse of course.

“This is where we store everything that you will direct the production of. Think of yourself as a supervisor more than anything. Your job is to make sure no one is missing or skips work. You tell people to get back to work if they’re slacking or doing their job incorrectly. If you suspect someone of mixing the substances with something that has no place in the ingredients, let me know personally. I will have a chat with them,” he said as if it had occurred before.

“What will Shikamaru do?” Neji asked, feeling a bit more comfortable knowing just a bit more of his position.

“He’s training in delivering the same products that you will be watching over,” the man answered. The Nara was learning how to drive a truck most likely.

“Now down here we have where the contents are mixed,” Orochimaru walked through a walkway before turning off onto a metal staircase that rattled with each step. It led down to what seemed to be tens of rows of assembly lines.

Neji froze at the top of the staircase railing as he stared in surprise that the man could hide such a thing underneath his home. He eventually followed after the man as the workers worked tirelessly it seemed. They were focused on their task and nothing apart from it. He could tell that they’ve received strict discipline.

“You shouldn’t have to yell too much since they’ve been briefed on your arrival,” Orochimaru assured.

Each worker seemed to have a number of years on Neji, “Will they listen to someone so young?” Neji asked doubtfully.

“They’ll listen if you have this,” the man said as the guard offered a pistol to the Hyuga.

Neji stared to it before looking to Orochimaru. He could not believe that the man would simply hand him such a weapon in the situation they were in.

“I hope you will understand that by the end of your shift, I will have to compensate it,” Orochimaru said with his back turned. He watched over the system that he had built. He was prideful it seemed.

Neji took the firearm unconfidently. It seemed as if simply touching the weapon sent off every nerve in his wounded shoulder even after being treated after last night’s dinner. He knew what it felt like to be punctured by a bullet that moved at the speed of sound. The idea of causing the pain for anyone else was unappealing.

“You make it known that you are armed if you get any protest or even so much as back talk,” the man finally turned to look at Neji with that same serpent-like smile, “understood?”

Neji nodded as his pulse quickened at being placed in the position that he oddly felt undeserving of, not because it was a punishment but because he felt like there should have been extra steps in order to get to that point. Neji looked past the man, taking the final step from the flimsy staircase. He looked to the workers who seemed to be in desperate need of rest. However, the closer he looked the more he began to notice the color of their hands. Their fingers were blackened by the white powder they either mixed, crushed or bagged.

“Let us crawl up to the surface, shall we?” Orochimaru said before walking past his new employee.

. . .

Neji sighed as he sat before the mirror remembering the blackened fingers. He wondered if it hurt or if it poisoned the people down there. He wondered if it was toxic to breathe it in. Neji’s hands slid up his arm as his fingers glided over the white bandages on his shoulder before there was a knock at the bedroom door.

Neji slid his shirt on, stood from his seat, and exited the oversized bathroom to answer the door.

“Hey,” Shikamaru greeted.

Neji relaxed at seeing the familiar face and eased the door further open, “Hey.” He remembered their discussion at the table last night. Orochimaru claimed he didn’t know anything regarding the boy’s father or his which was easy for Neji to accept unlike the Nara. The Nara’s father was someone that Shikamaru cared for unlike the Hyuga. Neji had always lived without Hizashi and continued to do so now; it made no difference to him. However, Neji remembered the stories Shikamaru would tell of his father. It showed of how he truly admired the elder Nara, but now the man was gone without a word. After learning what Orochimaru had told them, Neji was sure that Shikamaru’s hope hung on by a thread.

“Do you want to come in?” Neji asked. He was unsure of whether it would be allowed or not considering they were prisoners. He began to question if they truly were or not once he turned to find the luxurious furniture and décor of the room as he followed the Nara back in. Neji shut the door and stood watching as the Nara looked to the painting on the tall ceiling.

“Damn,” he said after a long whistle.

Neji approached him, “How was training?”

“Fine. This guy took me around in this truck and talked about how it worked and stuff,” Shikamaru said as he walked slowly tracing the artwork with his eyes, “You?”

Neji nodded, “It was fine as well. I am somewhat of a supervisor.”

“Crazy how Itachi’s been working for this guy longer than us, but we got easier positions. All I have to do is press a gas pedal. All you have to do is yell at some people.”

“I suppose. He has a warehouse right underneath the house,” Neji informed.

“Seriously?” Shikamaru asked, placing his eyes back on the Hyuga that stood stiffly. He furrowed his brows, “What happened?” He questioned catching onto the male’s discomfort.

“Nothing. The workers are clearly slaves.”

“Maybe if we do our job right, we won’t end up like them,” the Nara hinted that it was a warning.

Neji looked to him as he considered it.

A second knock came. They both looked to the door before Neji answered it.

“Dinner will be in just a few hours,” Orochimaru said before eyeing the Nara behind him, “I apologize. Would you rather room together?” He asked with a smile as he placed both hands over the cobra head of his staff.

“No, we…”

“I was just visiting.”

Both boys spoke over one another before sharing a glance then looking back to the serpent of a man.

“I will make the proper arrangements if so. I understand if you feel better side by side. Most people simply prefer their own space, which is why I had you two separated, but I understand if the large house is intimidating. I will see you both for dinner,” he tipped his head before continuing down the echoey halls.

Neji shut the heavy door and looked to Shikamaru.

“I think it’s a good idea. The night is kinda freaky in a big room in a big house in the middle of gods know where,” the Nara said.

“Yes, I agree. In case anything happens, we should be side by side.”

“Right,” Shikamaru offered a lazy nod before heading towards the bed, ripping the curtains open and collapsing against the expansive mattress.

. . .

Orochimaru lowered the glass from his lips, “Now, is this so bad?”

The two looked to the man who sat at the same end as last night before looking to each other waiting for the other to answer.

“I can l see that you’re more comfortable since the fear in your eyes has decreased just a bit. It going down at all is a good sign,” he continued to wear the same venomous smile, “Shikamaru, I’m sorry, but I still have heard nothing regarding your father. I will continue to make phone calls tomorrow morning. Hopefully my counterparts will answer this time. If not, I may have to send men out after the men that I already sent out,” he frowned, “which would be a shame. Neji I am told that you were raised by your uncle, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well, he’s done an amazing job. Your manners are impeccable,” he complimented, “Just speaking to you told me you weren’t raised by Hizashi, the rugged man. He was disorganized all the way up until he ran. At first, I thought it was only because of his young age, but his odd behavior and thought processes continued all through adulthood. He is deranged no doubt, but luckily it did not reach you,” the smile returned, “Shikamaru, your new job will require more time in practice, Neji you start tomorrow. Don’t let them walk all over you, because once they find out they can, production goes down and when production goes down, I’ll have to step in, but I’m busy up here. I’d hate to have to do that,” he was kind while simultaneously being threatening, “do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Neji said trying his hardest not to reveal how he had been intimidated just by the man’s focus alone.

“Magnificent. Oh, and I’ve heard nothing regarding your father either, but I’m sure it does not concern you as much,” he took another sip of his blood red wine, “If you fail your jobs, you’ll be stuffed in the basement and forced to work amongst the others,” he said lightly before stuffing a raw slice of salmon into his mouth.

The boys were just getting comfortable until the last snippet. Now, their lack of an appetite returned just as it had the previous night.

. . .

The bed was as long as it was wide which was very. The two tried to rest in the darkness of the room as the art looked down on them, only it was too high and too dark to see it at that hour.

“How often would you be gone once you begin truck driving?” Neji asked.

“My old man would stay gone and depending on how many stops I have to make, there’s really no telling where I’d be and for how long. They told me they’d pay for any hotel room I needed, but it really makes me wonder.”

“What?”

“Why did my dad run? Did he even run?” Shikamaru asked the roof above him.

It was something to consider since their responsibilities didn’t seem too outlandish compared to what they had feared.

“There is no telling what is true and what is a lie as long as we are here,” Neji said.

“How long are we gonna be here?”

“However long he wants us to work for him. Even then, we know too much,” Neji mentioned.

“Shit, are we gonna die here?”

“Maybe that is why our fathers ran. Maybe they did not wish to spend the rest of their days doing what we have to do now. We have not even started working yet, so we cannot tell what it was they ran from exactly,” Neji said as he sat up the moment Shikamaru fell back against his pillow.

“Now it’s starting to make sense,” the Nara grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

“Hizashi mentioned running away around the age of sixteen. He told me he met someone else who joined Orochimaru with him. I wonder if that was your father.”

“What? My dad ran too. He’s gotta be the guy he mentioned, then,” Shikamaru realized aloud, “So, they got fed up with the home life, so they ran to the streets, met a gangster and started dealing in drugs.”

Neji listened to it all being put simply.

“Gods,” the Nara breathed, “I don’t know if Izumi will be able to bust us out of this one.”

“Our best bet out of this is the Senju if they knew we were here,” Neji spoke quietly as he folded his arms in contemplation.

“Yeah, but how would we reach them?”

“You will be the only one of us that leaves the house. Perhaps one of your stops will put you in a position to reach them.”

“I don’t know. Why are we even talking about this? This guy’s obviously crazy, he’s probably watching us right now,” the Nara said as he rolled on his side, his back side facing the Hyuga.

Neji thought the idea to be preposterous until Orochimaru’s smile replayed in his mind. He frowned as he began to acknowledge the thought.

“There’s nothing much we can do other than do what he says then wait to be found, but something tells me he’s been at it for a while now. Something’s been keeping it all underground even with so many people involved,” Shikamaru mumbled.

“The money must be worth it all,” Neji considered.

“Well, whatever our dads did, they didn’t get paid as much as Orochimaru and his hitmen, that’s for sure.”

Hizashi had been homeless without a car as long as he had been in Konohagakure. Shikamaru had lived in a small house, living off of little revenue. Neither of them seemed to have gotten their fair share which was already telling of the boys’ futures.

“Go to sleep, trust me. Anything bad you’re feeling will go away,” the Nara said groggily. Neji knew that nothing he was saying now he would remember the next morning.

The Hyuga lied back against the cushiony pillow and allowed his head to sink into it. His first day on the job would be first thing in the morning. Just thinking about the warehouse’s size was disheartening enough but managing all of those people who had most likely not seen the light of day in so long sickened him. Just thinking of their blackened fingers was conflicting. However, if he did not comply, he would be put in the same situation, never to breathe in clean oxygen again. All he could do was sleep to forget it all, at least for a few hours until it became what seemed to be the rest of his life.


	59. Chapter 59

It was incredibly loud in the warehouse. Neji wondered if the workers suffered hearing loss after all this time. He stood on the higher floor of the factory and looked down to them over the railing. He watched, not wanting to get any nearer in fear that he would find something had gone astray to the point where he would have to step in. He simply stood on the metal platform with a gun hanging loosely in his hand as he eyed them all unconfidently.

Nothing seemed to be out of place as of yet, but then again, it was only first thing in the morning. Even with that being the case, a number of them looked to be worn out already, so Neji stepped towards a telephone that sat on a surface that looked much like a podium. All it took was the press of a single button to phone the higher floor.

“Yes?” It was a voice that was deeper than Orochimaru’s.

“I am wondering if the workers have breaks throughout the day?” Neji asked wearily, nervous of any consequence that may come from the question.

“They work their positions until midday which is when they switch positions and continue working.”

“When do they stop?” The Hyuga questioned as he looked to the countless people over the railing.

“It depends on how much they make. At a certain time, we weigh the produce and if it meets Orochimaru’s expectations, then the workers may rest for the night.”

Neji inhaled deeply understanding that the answer to his original question was no, they did not get any breaks throughout the day, “Thank you,” he said before hanging up the line. He frowned as he leaned against the railing, watching as the people beneath him are subjected to the effects of the toxin without being offered the grace of even a ten-minute breather.

. . .

“He gives them no time to rest. They work all day it seems.”

“That’s harsh,” Shikamaru rolled his shoulders; just conjuring up the image was tiresome.

Orochimaru had given them free range of the mansion so they could get a feel for where everything was without having to be escorted every day that they spent there.

The two walked into a room with an indoor pool that seemed to be surrounded by the glass of a green house. It made the area the brightest that they had come across yet. The ground was covered in a colorful cement tile that matched the rest of the home’s artistic appeal. Just to the corner of it sat a jacuzzi that was elevated higher up then the pool itself just over the cooler water. A bridge connecting each side of the large pool stretched just over the water in an arch.

“I wonder how long he’ll keep us as house guests,” the Nara thought aloud.

Neji had been thinking the same thing. The treatment was too grand for a couple of people that were supposed to work for you. It made every turn and sight unsettling.

“You think the war’s still going on?” Shikamaru asked curiously. The way Orochimaru was living without a single sign of stress did make it seem as though nothing was out of sorts.

Neji thought of his sisters, “He seems to be located in a remote area, safe from anything that happens outside of his business.”

“Yeah, everyone else does do his dirty work I guess.”

“My primary concern is my family,” Neji began as he stopped to face the garden they began to head towards. He looked to the cleanly trimmed shrubbery that led for a while outwards. It was foggy which allowed much of the land to disappear into a misty cloud, “We are now in the same position that our fathers were in which means our performance will affect those at home.” He looked to the Nara before remembering that he’s heard nothing of an extended family from the boy. He wondered if that was Shikamaru’s same concern at all.

The Nara’s eyes drifted from the Hyuga towards the mist that gave the land the aura of a graveyard. His face was its typical display of boredom yet unreadable, “Yeah,” he agreed, keeping his hands in his pockets, “I guess they could go after my mom if they haven’t already. If not, then I’m sure they have tabs on my friends.” Again, he spoke as if none of it came close to stressing a nerve within him. He was calm at least externally.

Neji did not bother trying to read it by then. He was sure the Nara was concerned even if he were to act apathetically. “Do you have any extended family?”

“Well, the closest I have are Ino and Choji’s parents since we all basically grew up together. Our parents grew up together, but something changed. Ino’s parents grew into their wealth, but watched my dad’s unstable career kind mess up our family’s income, so her parents lent us money every now and then, but it got to a point where it got kinda bothersome I guess – which I get,” his shoulders shot up in admittance, “They got sick of us, so I basically kissed a cousin, aunt and uncle goodbye. I’m pretty sure their attitude rubbed off on Ino, though. They probably told her not to give anything to me when I was young which, again, I get, but it kinda sucked. Choji’s parents stuck around though, they give me free meals from their restaurant, let me pick my hours. So, I guess they’re my closest family really,” he seemed to have realized, “I would be closer to my biological family if my dad didn’t run off when he was fifteen. He’s always been a loner type of guy though.” He stepped in front of a nearby bush that towered over the both of them and stuck his hand through its waxy leaves for no apparent reason at all.

“I’m sorry.”

“From the stories I’ve heard, they’re all pains in the neck anyways,” the Nara shrugged off as his arm sank deeper.

. . .

Neji stood in the same place he did the previous day as he watched over the employees. He heard complaining coming from the right which caught his attention immediately. He leaned over the rail to spot the issue to find the that an amount of the white powder had spilled across the cement floor. The complaining continued as a number of workers from the other parts of the assembly line looked to them worriedly before glancing to Neji and back. This was exactly what he was dreading. Neji wondered how he should go about this before finally climbing down the steps, but as soon as he reached the worker at fault, the man fell to his knees with his hands clasped together. He began to sputter pleas of mercy. He repeated how he would work even harder than before but just staring to his blackened hands and nails being placed in such a gesture of prayer weakened Neji’s will to punish the man. Neji rolled his eyes shut pitifully, “Stand,” the Hyuga ordered.

The man did as told but shakily. The other workers that shouted the complaints distanced themselves from the man whose nose began to run along with his tears. The sight disturbed the younger male who only wished for the man to stop crying. He still had no clue of how to go about it as he looked over the white powder. He supposed he had to phone Orochimaru, but what would he do to the employee? Neji frowned knowing that there was no use in wondering. The man may seem kind and forgiving, but the way he worked them tirelessly said otherwise. He did not consider these people to be people at all. Neji looked up to the platform that stood over them to spot the podium with the phone. He heard a dull thud and looked to find the man kowtowing to him shamefully. Neji looked away as he continued to ponder over it. That did not stop the man’s begging. His pleas grew in volume and it did little to facilitate the Hyuga’s thinking.

“Be quiet,” he ordered weakly. The man went silent on command and all that he produced now were sounds of fear akin to whimpers.

Neji looked around for cameras. He spotted a few which would make keeping this a secret significantly harder. He decided to hope for the best in trying to deal with the situation in a way that would get them both out alive, “Stand. Clean this up. You may have to work overtime to make up for the loss.”

The man stood and nodded frantically before nearly running off in search of a broom. Neji could tell from the gloss of his eyes that he could not believe he was being spared. The Hyuga wondered how harshly Hizashi had ordered them around all of these years. He then turned to make his way back to the stairs to the platform to find eyes on him. They were all looks of surprise and confusion and caused Neji to stop in his tracks momentarily. He looked all across the system that seemed so much larger and ever lasting on the lower floor. He felt as though he had been swallowed up by the intense practice. He was looking at it all from their point of view. It was what they saw as they broke their backs and allowed the toxin to seep into their systems day in and day out. Eventually, the stares came to a stop but Neji was unsure of when. All he knew was that he could finally walk without the entire factory observing his every move, so he cautiously made his way back up to the metal platform and prayed that no one else would cause a setback for the day.

. . .

“There,” Orochimaru said as a guard dressed in black, just like the others, paused the camera footage. Orochimaru then pointed his snake-ended staff to the screen where Neji is visible in gray scale, “That was nice of you to do. You are of good character it seems,” the man says, maintaining the smile he has held for days. He then looked to Neji before lowering the staff, placing both hands on top of the other against the golden snake head.

Neji wondered if he expected him to say something regarding the incident, “Thank you,” was all he could come up with.

“But,” Orochimaru sighed disappointedly, “If you continued to show them nothing but a kind nature, they’ll begin to walk all over you as if you weren’t the man with the gun. I did give it to you for a reason, Neji,” he looked back to the screen, “I can see you holding it. Don’t let them forget it’s there.”

. . .

Neji looked up from the library floor to spot Shikamaru’s reaction to what had happened. He was faced with a frown from the Nara. It was more concerned than it had ever been. The frown reached his eyes and did not just stop at the corners of his mouth as it usually did.

“Are you gonna be able to do that?” He asked.

“Kill someone over a mistake?” Neji shook his head as he wrapped his arms around himself at the idea. He imagined someone not crushing the substance properly as being enough for him to pierce their skin with a bullet.

Shikamaru leaned away from the table he had been using to support his weight and walked towards the Hyuga. He placed a hand on Neji’s shoulder and offered him an olive from a small bowl. Neji looked to them for some silent moments before speaking again, “You like olives.”

“No, I’m just bored. Want one?” The Nara offered.

Neji furrowed his brows in a confused manner before shaking his head, “No, thank you.”

“Look, maybe they’ll tell me to hit some people with my truck or something, who knows? I’m sure we’ll both have to kill some people, and I know it’s messed up, but it’s either them or those we care about,” he tried to be casual about it, but it was indeed a difficult situation to be put in, “Neji,” the Nara spoke.

Neji turned towards him. His expression showed nothing to tell the other that his words had helped at all.

“I can’t promise that everything’ll be fine. I wish I could, but these guys are unpredictable.”

Neji lowered his head into his hand before letting out a brief bit of laughter, “Gods,” he was nervous.

“But, the guy who’s training me said I can call into the warehouse if I’m on my way to pick up a load, so maybe we can talk even when I’m away for weeks at a time,” the Nara tried, “Even if they’re listening and realize it’s not work related, it won’t matter unless they say something.”

Once again, the Nara was trying to get him to do something that would most likely land them into some sort of trouble or warning. Neji sighed before he dropped his hand from his head, “Nara…”

“Think about it. I’m truck ten.”

Neji remembered seeing numbers on the old buttons of the podium just next to the larger red one that dialed Orochimaru. The rest were square, plastic buttons that were yellowed by time but still functional Neji was sure. So, those were truck numbers.

“Okay?” Shikamaru locked eyes with Neji who was still unsure of the suggestion.

Neji then nodded reluctantly agreeing to at least think about it, but he still felt put off by the idea as a whole.

“Okay, I gotta go. The truck guy should be here…” he looked around and spotted a clock through squinted eyes, “Now, shit,” he cursed, giving the bowl of unfinished olives to Neji before rushing off through the aisles of book cases.

“It is late,” the Hyuga noted aloud.

“I have to learn how to drive at night, don’t I?”

Neji stood there with the olives in hand as he watched the boy rush through the home’s library doors. He then looked to the bowl to find that three remained. He popped one into his mouth before frowning. Nothing has changed since he first declared his disliking of the dish.

. . .

Neji lied awake without the Nara there. He faced the empty side of the bed and wondered what his days were like. He wondered if they were any easier. He then sat up to face the curtains before peeling the sheets back to make his way to the restroom when there was a knock at the door. It was unexpected considering the hour.

He opened it without hesitation, worried that he would keep the other waiting.

“Hello, Neji. I hope I did not wake you. I should have let you know earlier that I will be joining you tomorrow to watch while you work just to give you a bit of direction. I’m sorry for letting you loose after only minutes of explaining what it was you were to do. Don’t let my hovering stunt you too much. Good night,” he smiled.

“Wait,” Neji said without thinking. He had questions; he felt them without being entirely aware of how to word them.

“Hm?”

“How long will we be here?” The younger questioned. He was sure that the question had been too vague.

“All of that running must have made you restless. This is quite a permanent situation I can assure you. You will continue to work for me. You are not to leave the property unless I allow you to. You get strikes. One strike will lead you to being monitored all times of the day, two strikes will land you a room in the warehouse, three strikes lead to you being fired.”

“What happens if I were to be fired?” Neji asked after trying to silence a gulp.

“Well, not fired per say. You would simply be demoted and just like I mentioned before, you would begin your new job on the assembly line.”

He would be worked strenuously. He never saw the workers leave; they must live in the warehouse as well as spend their days producing whatever made the man as rich as he was.

“But do not worry, you’re so well behaved that I’m sure I won’t have an issue with you any time soon. Now, rest. I’m personally awake past my typical time of rest. Forgive me if I’m a bit sluggish tomorrow. You’re still young, so you’ll most likely bounce back quite easily. Rest well,” he said before continuing through the halls in a plush, black robe.

Neji closed the door gently to maintain the quietness of the large abode. They would be here forever according to the man. The Hyuga turned his back to the door to face the bed that resembled a large, sheet ghost on the other end of the room. They were trapped there.


	60. Chapter 60

Neji did not sleep well. Now, he stood over a grand amount of people that he hadn’t the energy to keep in check.

“Don’t doze off now,” Orochimaru spoke into his ear.

Neji jumped at the sudden sound that was made unexpectedly loud due to his proximity. The man then leaned away to continue watching his workers right next to Neji. It was the complete opposite of what the elder man had predicted. Orochimaru seemed to have all of the energy that Neji lacked.

“Did you not sleep well?” Orochimaru asked.

Neji shook his head slowly as he groggily stared out at everything beneath them.

“That’s a shame. Are you not comfortable at night? Do you need more pillows?”

Neji shook his head again.

“Well, hopefully tonight comes easier for you. My, what’s happened over there?”

Neji wanted to sigh in dread but held it in as he directed his attention to a worker that had stopped working altogether. The worker stood there and stared to his hands before holding them against himself.

“Why don’t you go check on him and see what’s the matter?”

Neji did as told and traveled down the loud steps which rattles echoed through the factory. He walked towards the man who was in the line to crush the contents only he had stopped and so did the line. Another worker pressed the stop button the second they noticed Neji moving towards them. The Hyuga stopped right before the man who held his hands underneath his arms. Neji tried to blink the burning sensation from his eyes before speaking, “What is the problem?”

“Nothing, I’ll get right back to work,” the man assured.

“Are you hurt?” Neji tried as if he were listing items from a list.

“No, nothing is wrong.”

Neji slowly blinked, “Why did you stop?” He needed at least a reason before he returned to Orochimaru who he suspected would ask for the man’s reasoning.

The man shook his head before facing back towards the line. His hands shook and looked rather stiff. Only the tips of his fingers began to darken, but they were much easier on the eyes than those around him. Neji watched the man’s every movement as he struggled to even lift the tool that he used to crush the crystals. The man then winced and dropped it against the surface. His hands were cramped in place from repeating the same gestures without a second of breaking time in between.

“Spread your fingers,” Neji ordered.

The man lowered his head and shut his eyes. He hissed as he tried to work his hands from their cupped positions.

“Your hands are cramped,” Neji noted aloud.

“It’s not a problem. I’ll get right back to work.”

“You cannot work if your hands cannot move,” the Hyuga put simply before exhaling, “Stay here,” he said before looking back up to Orochimaru who never took his cutting eyes from the two, “someone take his place,” the Hyuga ordered before continuing up to the man on the metal platform.

“Well?” Orochimaru asked.

“His hands are cramped in place. He cannot physically work,” Neji summarized.

“Oh, a pity,” the man frowned though the smile never left the rest of his features.

Neji waited for him to add to that and give further instruction.

“Well?” The man repeated.

“Well?” Neji questioned uncomfortably.

“I rather enjoyed your initiative on the bottom floor. I believe you can direct them however you wish and still have adequate product by the end of the day,” he said before hitting the ground with his staff once, “there is something different about you today.”

The difference between today and yesterday is that Neji was too tired to be concerned about everyone else especially after learning of the three strikes.

“Lead them to wherever it is they need to go. I’ll be upstairs, and you know the usual: dial me if something goes wrong only if you do not think you can handle it yourself,” he smiled before leaving Neji to attend to his work followed by a guard who never seemed to speak.

Once they were gone, Neji finally sighed heavily before continuing down the metal staircase to meet the man who stood devoid of purpose. The man seemed to be opposed to even looking Neji in the eye which really made the boy wonder how Hizashi had ran things before him.

“Is there somewhere you can rest?” Neji asked.

. . .

Neji followed the stranger down a long hall that would darken every few steps before another light beam overhead lit up their path. It was like traveling through a tunnel on the highway only under the earth. The man then turned into a door that led to a room that was empty apart from some blankets and old, used pillows. It seemed to house a number of the workers.

“Do you live here?” Neji finally asked.

The man nodded.

“For how long?”

The man shook his head.

“Were you brought here against your will?” So much for not caring for anyone else.

The stranger took some time to respond before opening his mouth, “I was traded.”

“Traded?”

“I worked for the Senju before I was here. I didn’t like it, so I did something that landed me here. They traded me for another worker. It was a girl.”

Neji understood. Disobeying was not an answer but the conscious sometimes outweighs the consequence. He looked to the man’s hands that still shook.

“Does he feed you?”

Finally, the man looked to Neji before averting his tired eyes with a nod.

Neji then reached out to the man’s hands who only sat still unsure of what the Hyuga intended to do. The touch was sudden and Neji knew the man had enough of the effects of disobedience, so he allowed the boy to grip his stiff hands.

“This can happen if you are dehydrated. I am guessing he does not give unlimited access to water?”

“No,” the man sighed.

Neji massaged the tenseness from the joints in the abused hands, “The marks. Yours are new. You must have not been here for long,” the Hyuga assumed.

“Not as long as the others but long enough to get my share.”

“Is there anyone back at home?” Neji asked.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve got a girlfriend and a baby on the way,” he smiled bitterly before Neji felt something wet fall against his hand. The Hyuga pulled back to find the man had begun to cry. “I’m sorry,” his deep voice cracked as he lowered his head, “I have to get back to them. I can’t stay here.”

Neji’s eyes rounded as he felt for the man. He knew his niceness would come off as the man’s token out of there but that was more than he could ever do in a place like this.

“You’ve gotta help me,” the man pled in a whisper, “Please.”

“I cannot.”

“Please, I am begging you.”

“I have a family, too. If I help you, I am guaranteeing all of their certain deaths,” Neji said firmly trying his hardest to appear cold on the exterior, “I’m sorry.” With that, Neji stood and made for the door so he could get back to the task given to him by a very dangerous man.

. . .

Neji walked into the bedroom to find a mostly naked Shikamaru strolling into the room from the bathing area. He wore only boxers as he ran a towel through his hair. Still, he greeted the Hyuga casually.

“How was it?” The Nara asked.

Neji consciously avoided looking at him after rolling his eyes, “Fine. How about you?”

“Honestly, not bad.”

Neji paused in his step at the sound of his tone. It was more joyful than he had expected it to be. He turned to face the Nara and furrowed his brows suspiciously.

“What?” Shikamaru asked with a smile.

“Do not tell me you are starting to enjoy this.”

“What did I say that?”

Neji narrowed his eyes.

Shikamaru lowered the towel from his dampened hair and stared to Neji before spreading his arms out in defeat, “What?”

Neji shook his head before pulling the bed’s curtain back and mounting the mattress behind it.

“Neji.”

Silence.

“Neji,” he called again as he neared the bed.

“I am tired; I’m going to sleep,” the Hyuga answered before slipping his arm underneath the pillow and curling up on his side. He shut his eyes stubbornly wishing for Shikamaru to turn off the light to the bathroom, so its glow did not disrupt the otherwise darkness that the bed’s curtains induced. Much to his dismay, he heard the fabrics being pulled back before a mass crawled onto the bed up until it weighed the cushioning right next to him.

“Neji.”

“Gods,” Neji breathed before turning over.

“I know that what we’re doing is wrong. I know that we’ve reached the bottom with no way out…”

“Thanks,” Neji mumbled at the reminder.

“But, Neji. Just try to look at it as what it is. It’s just what we have to deal with now, there’s no other way, so we might as well figure out how to do it as well as we can.”

Silence.

“Neji, we don’t have to worry about cops, so what’s the point in stressing over a moral compass?”

Silence.

Shikamaru sighed as he stared to the side of the Hyuga that refused to answer him, “Okay, I’ll let you sleep,” he said before Neji felt his presence slip away through the bed’s curtains of which the Nara closed generously. Finally, the bathroom’s light went off. Neji listened to the boy as he moved around the spacious room.

“Hey,” Shikamaru spoke quietly. His voice came from the side of the bed, right next to Neji. The Hyuga opened his eyes right as the Nara peeled the fabric back just a bit, “here,” he offered something that Neji couldn’t quite see in the dark, so Shikamaru turned on the lamp that sat right next to the bed. It revealed the items’ labels. It was clothing to last them longer since the men had taken their belongings before their departure from the police station that night. Right as Neji began to ask how and when he had gotten them, he felt something shift in his fingers right underneath the plastic packaging. He flipped the bagged clothing over to find yet another chocolate bar. Neji’s eyes softened – dulled even – with guilt that came from giving the Nara such a hard time for trying to find the positive in their situation. Neji dropped the items to the bed along with his hand before he looked to Shikamaru.

“Thank you,” he said. The Nara nodded before allowing the curtain to fall back in place. Neji then listened for the boy’s steps as he rounded the bed, “How did you get these?” Neji asked before looking back to the gifts.

“I have an allowance in cash for things like food, gas, rooms, whatever.”

“You will need it, why spend any on me?”

“We both needed some clothes. They’re nothing fancy, just some shirts, pants, underwear, stuff like that.”

“Yes, but you also purchased socks, a hairbrush and comb, a belt and,” he paused, “More chocolate?” Neji questioned as he reached into the bag the Nara left on the nightstand next to him, “Shikamaru?”

“Look, just take it as a parting gift.”

That made Neji pause for a moment to reflect. Once the Nara left on his own, there was no telling when he would return, “Thank you,” the Hyuga settled.

“You’re welcome.”

He could hear the smile in his voice. Neji shook his head at the items that sat before him in the shopping bag.

“Now I see why we were always broke. The allowance is good if you’re a kid on your own, but being a dad having to pay for a house and for a kid is tough to do on the little that the guy gave me,” Shikamaru said before his footsteps came to an audible stop on his own end of the bed. Neji stared towards wherever the boy’s voice came from until finally, Shikamaru revealed himself through the veil and rolled onto the bed. He lied on his side and propped his head up with a hand as he looked to the Hyuga that only studied him unsure of how to feel about everything around him.

“I did the math,” Shikamaru began as he sat up and crossed his legs, “So, most of it goes to the things I mentioned, but there is a little bit that I could keep for small things, so if you need something while I’m gone…”

“I can call you using the phone in the warehouse,” Neji finished significantly quieter and less excited than the junior next to him.

Shikamaru nodded.

“Do not use all of it at once,” Neji ordered.

“Hard to do when there’s someone you want to spend it all on.”

Neji raised a brow.

“I know you’ll get bored here. It wouldn’t kill me to get you some music one way or another.”

“There is a pool here along with multiple nature trails,” Neji reminded the boy.

“Yeah, but those have to get old someday.”

“I doubt I will have time to enjoy myself since I will be in the warehouse almost all times of the day.”

“Just let me?” Shikamaru asked. It was the most energetic the Hyuga had ever seen him.

“No, Nara. If you come back a month later with a haul of materialistic possessions, I will not thank you. I will tell you to return each item for the money.”

“Tch,” the Nara then collapsed against the pillows, “alright, Hyuga.” Though he was defeated, he still wore a lazy smile across his face that showed of satisfaction and contentment.

For the bit of time Neji had gotten to know the boy, he had always been strange.

Suddenly, a gun shot sounded, shaking them both. Shikamaru sat up just as quickly as Neji’s shoulders guarded his ears in reflex. Shikamaru then rushed from the bed to lock the door before hurrying back.

“What the fuck?” He breathed out.

The two watched the white sheet before them, waiting for another sound only for silence to follow.

“Should we go to the bathroom?” Neji asked.

. . .

Shikamaru locked the door behind him and barricaded it with moveable furniture before grabbing a toilet plunger as the best weapon to wield at the moment. He then stared to the tool before setting it back down easily in slight disgust. They then pushed further back into the walk-in closet attached to the bathroom and sat in darkness after blocking that door too.

“I hope that was our rescue, but I’m not gonna take the chance to find out,” Shikamaru spoke quietly.

“Gods,” Neji complained but he seemed more on edge than the Nara. Without a single light, Shikamaru could spot the difference between the both of them. It was the reason behind their opposing views on the situation. Neji was afraid, much more than Shikamaru. The Nara couldn’t tell if that made him brave or insane.

Neji felt hands rub up and down his arms, “It’s probably just someone who did the guy wrong. I’m sure it has nothing to do with us. It was one shot which means it’s over. We’re good.”

Another shot sounded which caused the Hyuga’s arms to grow firm in Shikamaru’s hold.

“Okay, we’ll stay here for the night.”


	61. Chapter 61

Neji woke up feeling a heavy mass against his chest, “Shikamaru?” He whispered. He listened as the boy took in a heavy breath, luckily without a booming snore, before the mass lifted.

“Hm?”

Neji looked up into where he believed the boy’s face would be. The closet was dark with no exceptions.

“Is it morning?” Neji asked before he felt the boy’s body lift from his own. He listened as Shikamaru wandered towards where the door was the previous night. He then heard a dull bang that vibrated through the racks of the closet followed by a sigh. There was then a pause which told Neji that the boy had hit his head. Then, the Nara’s shuffles started back towards the door.

Light poured through the closet as Shikamaru opened the door. The sun’s rays shone right on Neji who sat in the back of the room. He squinted his eyes that were unprepared for its intensity.

“Yeah, it’s morning.”

. . .

Orochimaru smiled right outside of their door. It caused the two to jump just slightly at coming face to face with the man without having heard a knock at all.

“Good morning. I hope you slept well because you’re late.”

Neji gulped thinking it would be strike one.

“I understand if all of the commotion last night kept you two awake, so it’s nothing to fret about.”

“What happened?” Shikamaru asked against Neji’s silent wishes. The Hyuga felt as though they should keep their sight narrow and out of the direction of any affairs regarding Orochimaru and his business apart from their own.

“We had some unwelcome visitors I’m afraid, but they are no longer here,” he turned his back, “breakfast is on the table. Make sure you are well fed before you report to your stations.”

. . .

It was only the two of them at the table. Even though the man assured that their absence was forgiven, neither of them felt as though they could trust his word. They ate in silence as the large clock ticked behind Orochimaru’s typical seat. Only, it was empty this time since he had eaten in the time that they had been asleep. The clock’s hollow clicks bounced off each cold, hard surface of the room rather loudly which told of its weight and their silence.

Neji could tell the Nara wished to know of what happened the previous night, but the uncertainty was too great. It was either that or because of Neji’s demand towards the dining room that he did not speak a word of it. Orochimaru’s vague description was enough for anyone to pick up on the fact that he did not wish to discuss details.

“When do you leave?” Neji asked.

“Either next week or the week after that.”

The Nara’s so-called parting gift put Neji under the impression that he might have been leaving the very next day, “Oh.”

“Yeah, so I’ll be around for a bit.”

“Actually, you’ll be joining another trucker to undergo unloading. You’ll travel with him and you’ll help unload the cargo from the trailer,” Orochimaru corrected as he entered the grand dining area, “You leave today.”

“Oh,” Shikamaru muffled through a mouth full of bacon.

“Neji, I hate to rush you, but the man I sent in your place is rather impatient,” Orochimaru hinted as he rested a hand against the armrest of the Hyuga’s seat.

Neji wasted no time in standing, keeping his eyes on Shikamaru who sat, mildly surprised by the change of events. He then followed Orochimaru through the halls until they reached the lift. The man opened it for the Hyuga, allowing the boy to step in alone, replacing another man who had been substituting for him.

“About damn time,” the man complained as he rolled his shoulders, keeping his hands in the pockets of his red leather pants. Neji looked to him as the man stepped off the elevator, “You better not pull that again. I hate looking at those people, it’s depressing as hell.”

The elevator’s doors closed before it began the descend that brought him to the man’s lair beneath its luxurious guise.

. . .

Neji felt the ice that he forced onto his face crack as he watched the woman before him break down. She cried no matter what he said or did, so he simply watched her. After some seconds he looked all around to find the others that stared right at the scene. However, once they noticed that they had been caught, they would continue their work with even more vigor than before. Neji inhaled steadily before rolling his eyes shut. He reopened them to refocus on the woman. It was a painful gaze that wished for her to stop wailing, to get a grip and go on. It would be easier for the both of them if she did.

“Miss,” Neji tried only for it to come out quieter than her cries, “stop crying,” he said a notch higher.

It did nothing to calm her. She cried out loud without even trying to hide her face. She had lost it all so suddenly. Her cries had been piercing when the boy was watching over them. He ordered someone to replace her as he pulled her to the side. Now, the two sat face to face and minutes had passed.

“I will allow you to stop work for the day,” he offered still unsure of the reason for the outburst.

She continued to cry only now she let her face fall into her hands.

“What is wrong?” Neji’s frown deepened.

He got no answer. Perhaps the answer would make no difference because he could not do a thing to help these people. He only had to be their superlative until he was let off. Neji crossed his arms before looking back up to the platform considering letting the woman cry herself to exhaustion.

“Go to the back rooms,” Neji ordered, “You do not have to finish today.” Anyone could see that the system was over staffed. Allowing one of them to take the day off shouldn’t do much harm.

“Can I take a break?” One woman begged, “Please, my back. I just need one day, I promise!”

“I…” Neji began, fearing the pattern that he knew would commence. He caught eyes almost immediately. There were more eyes on him than there were when the woman wailed her lungs away only moments before she excused herself. Now, a possible vacation day put him at the center of attention.

“Please,” the woman persisted as she neared the boy, “Just one,” She held up a single finger with a desperate nod.

“Well…”

“Sir,” a man called out sheepishly, “could we get,” he was hesitant as he spoke, “breaks? Well, no, I mean just a few minutes each day. Not plural, just…”

“Yeah,” another spoke up triggering the agreement of those around him.

So, this is what Hizashi sparked months back.

Everyone stared to Neji, abandoning their tasks. They looked like zombies as they allowed contents to fall unorganized. Neji looked past the crowd to find the chaos that began to unfold. It began to overwhelm him. The many voices, pleas, warehouse sounds and echoes, the contraband wasting. He looked to the camera that seemed to be staring right at him now more than ever. He knew that he was already late that morning. To allow the situation to spike to this point was crossing the line he was sure. He became panicked until finally he reached for his gun and aimed high getting the workers to shrink as multiple screams ripped through them.

It went silent once everyone either took cover, covered others, or fell numbly against the ground. They all looked to Neji, now reduced to the weakened people that the Hyuga had first been introduced to.

Neji calmed himself as he held the gun, “get back to work.”

. . .

Neji’s head hung low as he thought over today’s situation. The elevator ascended as he wondered if he could have diffused it any differently. He did not wish for the workers to fear him, but if they didn’t, then they wouldn’t do as he said. He frowned remembering Shikamaru’s words. It was either the workers or those closest to the both of them. Neji had to make a decision, and he had that day by finally raising the gun he was told to put to use repeatedly.

The elevator came to a stop and its doors eased open to reveal Orochimaru all over again. It was just as nerve wracking as it had been earlier that day, “You’re getting the hang of this I can tell,” he began as he guided the boy with a hand pressed to the middle of his back. Neji stepped from the elevator and walked through the office along with the man, “Your friend should be back shortly, but for now, sit with me,” he said, gesturing towards a seat that sat on snake-shaped pegs. It was an ongoing theme all throughout the house. Orochimaru then sat before the Hyuga and crossed his legs, placing both hands over his staff, “You’re adjusting more easily than your father did all those years ago. However, one thing concerns me.”

Neji looked to him.

“We had someone escape last night. Yes,” he nodded as he recalled the scene, “a worker escaped through that very elevator just last night,” he said pointing the staff to the hidden lift that stood behind a wall of books, “it seems as though you left the elevator unlocked?” He questioned with a smile.

Neji’s eyes widened in shock. He could have sworn he locked the elevator before leaving it behind the books, but the more he thought about yesterday, the more he remembered just how tired he had truly been. Nothing he did was something he felt he did consciously. It is very likely that he had in fact forgotten to lock it. His eyes dropped to his lap, realizing that this was strike one.

“Why, what’s wrong. Do not make that look. It’s quite ugly on your lovely face.”

The response was odd considering that the man most likely suspected Neji of betrayal. Neji’s head slowly lifted, but he did not look to the man who bobbed his foot up and down.

“Mistakes happen. They are understandable considering you’re new on the job and quite young. Neji, I am not evil. I’m simply a businessman whose time and money are precious and valuable. Try not to let it happen again,” he said kindly before standing, “Turn off the light once you leave,” he said over his shoulder as he departed.

It wasn’t until Orochimaru was gone that the Hyuga looked to the office’s doors. Whoever had escaped had to be part of the shooting last night. There were two bullets. One could have been for the worker while the other was for the visitor. Neji could guess all he wanted, but none would be a precise explanation. He then wondered who had escaped. After so little time, he could not possibly have remembered each person in the facility. He then stood and followed after the man, desperate to know. He wanted to know who the visitor was. The visitor, being unwelcome and all, had to have been an enemy. He only hoped that it was no one that he had been trying so hard to protect, “Sir?” He called once outside of the office.

“Hm?” Orochimaru asked, keeping his back to the boy.

“May I ask who it was?”

“The friend that you made yesterday took it upon himself to escape after somehow gaining access to a cellular device which I am sure you did not give him since I stripped you of yours. He dialed outsiders and told of his location. I am assuming that the few workers who know of this location told him. He somehow managed to use the elevator, get to this floor and get as far as the front door before he foolishly turned around at the sound of the first gunshot. He followed after it to find his ride, dead on my kitchen floor,” the man looked over his shoulder with a joyful expression, “He was shot without hesitation right afterwards.”

“You killed them?” Neji thought aloud.

“No, of course not. I hate killing senselessly, so I had Hidan handle it. He is the one that substituted for you when you slept in this morning,” he explained as he faced the Hyuga fully.

Neji’s eyes flickered from the floor to the man who did not bat an eye at his own practice. It was only a reminder of how cold blooded he really was. Though the officer said Orochimaru did not care for killing, he did not specify that he had men do it in his place. No matter what Orochimaru had said in the office, he was truly pure evil.

“You look troubled.”

Neji shut his mouth as his nerves began to stir at the sudden death of the man he had helped and watched cry the day before. He had a family. The Hyuga averted his gaze and joined his hands right in front of him before shaking his head.

“Are you sure you’re alright? Do you need any refreshments?”

“No, thank you, sir.”

“Well, your friend should be here right about now, so you’ll be able to catch up on whatever it is teenagers speak of these days. I’m thinking current events, but with your phones gone, I’m sure that could be challenging. I’ll tell someone to get you magazines, maybe even a newspaper,” he was an odd mix of considerate all while being the devil without for a second guessing where he stood on something. It was hard to read him and predict his behavior even though it hardly changed, “I’m sorry about your other friend. We could not risk him escaping, but we could not let him go unpunished, free to tell just anyone about what it is we do here. I’m sure after today you understand.” That day, the workers nearly toppled him begging for a break from the lines simply because Neji had given that one woman some time to breathe. It had been suffocating. If they let the man go unpunished, the others may think that they got unlimited chances to try to break out of the warehouse without penalty which would have swung production into disarray, so Neji nodded in agreement solemnly. Still, with him in control of police, it was odd that he would be concerned of the word getting out. “Perfect. Besides, you said he was the one whose hands stopped working, correct?”

Neji nodded again.

“Hm,” Orochimaru hummed, “Well, if anyone asks where Asuma Sartobi ran off to, let them know. It’s a shame to see him go; we had such history,” the man dwelled as his shoes clacked through the halls doused in artwork.

. . .

Shikamaru lied against his stomach with his face sunken in a pillow as he complained about his back pain from the long trips, “I don’t get how you could get used to this. The guy told me I’d get used to the pain, but getting used to pain doesn’t even sound real,” he then turned his head to face Neji who sat next to him, “what’s wrong? You haven’t said anything.”

Neji reached through the bed’s veil to grab the shopping bag that sat on his nightstand from the night before. His arm them retracted with a chocolate bar in his grasp, “they killed a Sarutobi.”

“Today, or was that what the gun shots were about?” Shikamaru asked seemingly freezing at the news.

“Someone escaped last night and somehow contacted the outside world,” Neji explained as he ripped the wrapper, recalling the woman who had been crying nonstop that day, “He called someone who appeared here last night. He and his ride were both shot.”

“The two shots,” the Nara mumbled.

Neji nodded, “He had a family, or he was going to have a family.”

“Family?”

“A pregnant girlfriend.”

Shikamaru’s tired-swollen eyes opened as he propped his upper weight up onto his elbow, “Girlfriend?” He asked, rubbing his eye.

Neji nodded before dropping his hands to the bed to take a minute to shake it from his head, “But, I know that it was inevitable. He should not have tried to escape. I’m unsure of how he found a phone or how he used the elevator. I could have forgotten to lock it, but…”

“Sarutobi, pregnant girlfriend.”

Neji looked to the Nara who revisited the topic, “Yes,” Neji confirmed, curious of the reason behind the boy’s sudden fixation.

Shikamaru stared to the veil as he lowered himself back into the sheets. He suddenly seemed drained of strength, “Asuma?” His voice barely registered.

Neji went cold realizing that the boy must have known the man, “Did you…” he could not finish the question having known the answer. It was written all over the boy’s face. Shikamaru’s eyes were unblinking, his breathing was slow as he stared to the white curtain.

“What?” he whispered at the news.

His voice, wiped of belief, made the Hyuga rethink opening his mouth to the other. Neji paused before he placed the chocolate bar on top of the nightstand then looked back to the Nara whose eyes were stuck on him, staring as if it would make what Neji had said only a lie, a story. The Hyuga felt as though they had switched places with one another since being in Sea Country when he had found out about the truth behind his mother’s passing. It was a hard thing that came so suddenly, just like Asuma’s murder.

“What?” That time it came out breathier on the brink of cracking before the Nara turned his head to bury his face in the pillow that seemed to swallow his head whole.

Neji could only watch momentarily until the stare felt like weight on Shikamaru’s back. The Hyuga looked to his lap that was covered in the bed’s sheets as the boy remained silent and still. The Hyuga wondered if the Nara was breathing.

“Turn the light off,” Shikamaru ordered through a muffle submerged in the thick pillow.

Neji leaned to the side to pull on the lamp’s string until the light died. He then slid down until he, too lied against the bed. Only, he faced whatever hung over them while the Nara faced whatever lie beneath. It was silent for some minutes before Neji felt the boy moving around next to him. Shikamaru slid off the bed and headed towards the bathroom, shutting the door rather loudly through the force of whatever Orochimaru had just coursed through him.


	62. Chapter 62

Two weeks had passed, and everything went smoothly. There were no major incidents in the warehouse. If something did go wrong, it was something small enough to be fixed by a simple look from the Hyuga who did not even do so much as say a word. Shikamaru had his first true trucking trip that day, and leading up to then, he had been more quiet than usual. It was only after the news of Asuma that he became distant and unresponsive towards a number of things. He seemed less expressive than ever, and Neji finally decided not to push anything, so they spoke less. At night, if the Nara returned, Shikamaru would be the first in bed, and would either be asleep before Neji arrived or would feign it just to keep to himself. The night after the news, Neji tried to speak to him, comfort him even slightly, but nothing seemed to get through to the boy, so Neji decided to let time work on what he felt.

“No, that’s what that fucker gets for stepping up like some damn hero. He saw that I had the gun. All he had was a fucking coat on, that was his best chance of survival once I shot his ass, but not even that was enough,” they heard a laugh as Hidan rounded the corner, “I swear this job gets funnier everyday. I’m telling ya,” He entered the dining room along with another man. The second man was taller and had stitch tattoos and seemed to have tattoos in his eyes which blackened what should have been white. He was not as talkative as Hidan, but it did not quiet the shorter man, “Kakuzu, seriously, man. All we had to do was kill the guy, why’d you rob the place? What do you even spend money on? You just keep it, fucking weirdo,” finally Hidan’s scattered attention landed on the two boys who sat before one another, “Morning,” he smiled. However, any smile he offered came off maliciously due to the red of his eyes. He had a tear in his ear and wore the same chain necklace as he always did. He pulled a black gun from his belt and placed it on the table. It had some sort of symbol carved into it. The symbol was an upside-down triangle within a circle. “Like it?” Hidan asked Neji who was caught staring at the weapon.

The Hyuga only looked away.

“No, it’s alright. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but,” he dragged Orochimaru’s typical seat towards the Hyuga before plopping down in it sideways rather comfortably for it to have been his boss’s seat. Orochimaru had stopped eating with them once the two adjusted, so the boys typically ate at any time of the day. The man insisted they put in an order to Kabuto whenever they wished to eat, but they usually went to the kitchen for something quick and simple. However, come to find out, even the snacks were complex and seemed to be foreign, “Hey, hello?” Hidan waved to Shikamaru who had ignored him the moment they could hear his voice from down the hall, “I’m talking to the both of you. Like I was saying, I know we got off on the wrong foot. I mugged you and I strapped you to your couch.”

So, Hidan had been the one to break into Neji’s home that night. It did make sense now that Neji really listened to him.

“But, we’re coworkers now, so we might as well make up if you two aren’t too set on holding grudges. I never hurt any of you, so let’s let bygones be bygones, yeah? Life goes too fast to get hung up on stuff in the past,” he said as he stood, “he’s keeping you guys around for a reason; you must be doing the work. You’re lucky he didn’t give you a gun and send you out to kill suckers like us,” he said as he stood and leaned his arm against Kakuzu’s shoulder who had not moved since they entered. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like my job. It works well with what I gotta do, you know?”

No, neither boy knew.

Hidan placed a firm finger to the symbol of his gun, “Gotta give Jashin what he wants, and he got it just this morning,” he lifted the weapon and admired the carving as if it had given him life, “and many times before that. Hey, you,” he said suddenly, turning to Neji, “Don’t you manage the basement?”

Neji nodded.

“How did that guy get above ground two weeks back? What are you? Stupid? You gotta lock shit when you live here, come on.”

Neji frowned at the way he addressed him before he went back to eating his breakfast.

“Oh, so you don’t like constructive criticism?” Hidan rose a brow before gripping the back of Neji’s chair. He leaned much too close to the Hyuga’s face as the boy tried to eat, so Neji shut his eyes, “Hey,” the man giggled, “Look at me. You didn’t give the guy the keys did ya? You probably gave him the phone too. I knew he shouldn’t have hired a fucking kid; you guys have too much heart. Well, let me tell you; heart doesn’t do jack shit in a world like this. You gotta rip it from your chest and toss it in the trash before stepping out everyday,” he explained before sitting on the table right next to Neji’s plate, “That’s how I got used to what I do day after day. But, because you let that guy slip through, he had to become another sacrifice to Jashin,” he lifted his gun from the table, “him and that other old guy that tried to break him out,” he said as he stroked the symbol in the firearm covered in black paint that had begun to chip off, “Damn, I gotta renew your paint job, old girl.”

Neji paused before easing his chop sticks back to the table having given up on his meal altogether. He opened his eyes to find Shikamaru glaring right at him after learning that Asuma had met his demise at his hands. It washed the Hyuga’s annoyance from him completely. The glare the Nara gave was heavy and filled with hatred. If Neji didn’t know any better, he would have guessed that the man would be lied against the gravel at the hands of Shikamaru by the end of the day. Neji only cleared his throat to hopefully remind Shikamaru of his surroundings. It was effective. Neji stood and pushed his chair in. Not too much later, Kabuto collected his dish though Neji was unaware of his even being there as they ate. It was a surprise, “Thank you,” Neji said.

Kabuto said nothing as he stacked the plate, topping them with his glass.

“He’s quiet,” Hidan said as he hopped off the table only after Neji’s plate had been collected, “kinda a nerd, too. I think he was an orphan or something and the old man took him in,” Hidan then wrapped an arm around Neji to pull him in closely, “I heard him arguing with Orochimaru one day. Apparently, Kabuto contributed to the whole drug discovery. So, in my opinion the guy should be just as rich as Orochi, but you didn’t hear that from me,” the man said before turning off and swaying towards the dining room entrance. “Anyways, you’re about to learn that being a supervisor is way more than just what the old guy told ya. You’re gonna be hitting the road soon. Apparently, he wants new workers, faster, younger and what not. The ones now are worn. It’s the old swap every now and then. I think the laborers down there already got your message. They should behave without you there for just a second. Seems like staff above ground is getting thin too. I mean you guys killed three of our guys in Sea Country, we lost some men in the war in Konoha, we had to throw that guy off the roof – when was that?” He asked Kakuzu who stood behind him, “Anyways, rhymed with sushi or something,” he waved away, “now, the Uchiha are acting funny. They’re acting like we don’t have command over everything they do which is a dangerous thing,” he smirked evilly as his thumb continued to trace over the symbol, “They’re acting like they have a way out of this, but they’ll know soon enough that we still have the jump on them,” he chuckled which turned into a jittery giggle that erupted into evil laughter that shook the echoic room.

“Hidan,” Kakuzu spoke.

“Where was I going with this?” Hidan questioned as he crossed his arms. He looked to the floor for answers and crossed his arms contemplatively, “Yeah, anyways. We’d send other guys to go pick up some new workers, but our guys are running low, so you gotta do it. Since I don’t have to kill anyone else today, I’ll be going with you just in case anyone decides to change that,” he then walked away from the group, “Be ready in five, runt.”

“Shikamaru,” Kakuzu said calmly, “We leave soon.”

The Nara’s eyes rested on the back of the silver-haired man, disregarding the man’s words entirely.

. . .

Hidan swerved into the parking lot of a motel that sat at the side of the road. Neji was not aware of the possible turn until they were suddenly whipping sharply to the right which reminded the Hyuga of the man’s dangerous road habits. Hidan slammed on breaks and put the car in park before opening the door. He had not been wearing a seatbelt. Neji sat there silently with the blindfold still wrapped around his eyes. He heard a violent knock on the window.

“What are ya doin? Get out!” He heard.

Neji undid his seatbelt and exited the vehicle.

“You can take it off, ya know?”

Neji untied the blindfold to find a motel that consisted of a single level. It seemed old and quite ran down. There were no cars apart from a single vehicle that had a large passenger capacity. He then remembered his job; he had to choose new workers for the warehouse. He frowned uneasily, scared of what he may find.

“Come on,” Hidan said as he rushed in a quick walk towards the furthest door down without checking in with the desk first.

“Hey! You gonna check in?” A man called from the office as he shut the door behind him. He was a large man, up in age. His hair was unruly and white. He crossed his arms with a scowl.

“Very funny, Jiraiya,” Hidan said as he turned the key with a sarcastic laugh before whispering curses. He swung the door open violently which stopped halfway before it could slam against the wall; it had hit something but more like someone.

“So, they sent you,” a voice came from behind the door.

“Could you tell from the grand entrance?” Hidan smiled widely as he strolled in followed by Neji who already looked to be out of place.

Neji tried to appear as though he was someone that couldn’t be messed with too easily to avoid any unfavorable confrontation, but what lied inside the room crushed all hope of him maintaining the façade. Every where he looked, he would see someone lied either unconscious or heavily drugged to weaken and quiet them all. It was a mixture of women and men.

“Alright just do your evaluation and leave,” Tobirama ordered as he emerged from behind the door. He then leaned against the wall and crossed his arms impatiently.

People filled the walkway between the two beds and the distance between them and the television. They were even lied side by side on top of the beds. Neji was sure the amount of people in the room surpassed that of the van’s capacity. Neji took a few more steps as he looked over each victim pitifully. He crossed his arms as he steadied his breathing before shutting his eyes. He shut his mouth, fighting the nausea that began to build up at being pushed so far from his own ethics.

“He’s new to this, be patient, Tobi,” Hidan smirked before looking down to one of the people that lie unconscious, “She’s cute, let’s get her. Tell ya what, if you get her, I’ll take over more of your shifts, huh?” He grinned.

Neji turned to face Hidan as he walked over a number of bodies to get near him. He figured that if he let him choose, they could leave sooner. He couldn’t bare looking over so many people in their state. He swallowed thickly as he tried to refocus on the boisterous man.

Hidan bent over and scooped the girl up and grabbed her hair to move her head as he played as the victim, “Pick me, pick me,” his mocking came out as a squawk before he laughed obnoxiously. The girl’s head fell limply, covering her face in dark brown strands.

Neji furrowed his brows as he neared her. His heart sank with each step. He reached out and brushed her hair from her face. TenTen. His eyes widened. His breath quickened, but he swallowed it down, “What happens to the rest if they are not chosen?” He asked quickly. He had to weigh her options.

“They come back with us, we sell them to someone else,” Tobirama explained. “Hurry up and choose. Orochimaru already paid for four.”

“Four?” Hidan questioned as he thought over the small sedan that they had driven on the way here.

Neji did not wish to put her in the back-breaking situation of the warehouse, but she could end up in worse hands if he did not claim her, “We will take her.”

“Oh? You have good taste, boy,” Hidan nudged the Hyuga.

“You’ve got three more choices to make, hurry up.”

. . .

The two rode back with people piled in the back seat. There were covers on the back windows to prevent others around them from seeing the obscenity. Neji wore the same blindfold. He wondered how the girl ended up with the Senju. There was no telling what all the girl had gone through while being their subject. He would speak to her once she awakened. For now, he had to try not to play favorites.

“You want anything while we’re out? I could go for a burger right about now,” Hidan said.

“No, thank you,” Neji declined quietly. His throat was dry.

“Kay, suit yourself. I’m gonna order me a double with extra cheese. Now, remember what you said. You said no, so don’t grab a single fry,” Hidan warned as he swerved off the interstate.

. . .

The two carried the people to the basement themselves after dragging them up the front steps and through the house. Hidan wore one boy over his shoulder and pulled the two others by their wrists. By the time they reached the lift, the man heaved as he looked to Neji who carried TenTen bridal style, “chivalry has a time and place, you little shit.”

Once they reached the bottom floor, Hidan dropped one of their wrists, “How about lending a helping hand?”

Neji held TenTen over his shoulder as he dragged a man behind him past each one of the workers who watched the unconscious four attentively.

“Fuck are you looking at? Get back to work!” Hidan ordered.

Hidan tossed his two into the room filled with old blankets and pillows while Neji rested his own more gently.

“We’re gonna keep them tied up because once they wake up, they’ll freak out. They’re not conditioned yet, so they’ll be a pain in the ass,” he said as he cracked his knuckles. “Alright, I’m gonna head back up. Maybe the old man has another list for me to cut through,” he cackled as he exited the room.

Neji looked back to his friend, hoping that she would wake up even slightly just so he could speak to her, but he had that warning itch to report to his station before Orochimaru has a reason to visit him later that night. He left the room and shut the door behind himself, locking it reluctantly. He thought about how scared the girl would be once she woke up in the pitch black with her hands and legs bound together. Not only that, but she was roomed with three other strangers, all of which were male. There would be no way of her knowing where the room began or ended, no way of knowing where she was or who had gotten a hold of her, or what was to come next. Neji frowned as he slipped the key into his back pocket. He stared to the doorknob shamefully. He would check on her once his shift ended.

“Fuck are you looking at? Didn’t I ask that already?”

Neji’s attention was directed to the man’s yelling. He then walked through the tunnel-like hallway towards the assembly lines to find Hidan arguing with a worker.

“What are you? You’re new, aren’t you? I can tell,” Hidan smirked, “Your hands are too clean, your posture’s not bad, your eyes are still white, yeah you’re new,” he decided, as he crossed his arms as if proud of the realization.

“She’s bleeding. She needs help,” the worker ordered boldly.

“How about you mind your own business and work on whatever it is you’re supposed to be. Her problems aren’t yours. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you’ll find your place. I suggest you find it now,” Hidan warned only for the worker to line up with him and stare him in the eye.

“What would you do if we all collectively stopped working? You wouldn’t have your product, you wouldn’t get money.”

Hidan nodded and tilted his head side to side, pursing his lips as he thought it over, “Hm,” he considered as he acknowledged that point.

“Please,” another girl begged, “She needs help, please.” She had to be a friend of the girl’s without a doubt.

“We will get her help,” Neji assured.

“Oh, thank you,” the girl looked as if she wished to cry tears of joy.

“Or,” Hidan said as he pulled his gun from his pocket, shooting each individual who had caused the rise, shocking those nearby. All three, the man, the bleeding girl and her friend died on the spot, “Now we don’t have to run up and down the stairs trying to get band aids,” he said as he slipped the weapon back into his belt.

Neji was stunned. He was just as shocked as the rest of them, only he didn’t hide like the workers. He only stood there and stared to the silver-haired demon, “Why would you do that?”

“Look around. The guy was old,” he pointed to his corpse, “He didn’t have much more time than the girl who bled out all over the goddamn floor. Shit. One of you clean that up,” he called, “and her little girlfriend over there was weak. She wasn’t working fast enough I bet.”

Three women rushed over with fabrics and tried to dry the blood to the best of their ability given nothing to truly scrub it from the concrete.

“It was only three of them, useless at that. It doesn’t matter because their replacements are sleeping in the other room, Orochimaru’ll understand.”

“You did not have to kill them,” Neji said quietly, staring to the two girls who died on top of one another. He leaned against the nearby conveyor belt to steady himself in the midst of the shock.

Hidan let out a sound akin to a growl, “I don’t see why you care! You won’t get in trouble! If anything, I might, but you’re good to go, so stop bitching and do your fucking job!” He yelled before stepping around the three, “I’m tired of doing this shit for you.”


	63. Chapter 63

An alarm blared off the warehouse walls signaling Neji’s time to leave. Typically, the workers continued for a bit after he left, but he decided to walk to the lower floor instead. He walked past everyone and eyed the blood stain on the concrete that mad been mostly cleaned by then, but it was never truly coming out. He took a deep breath as he made his way to the bedroom area. He unlocked the door and opened it only to be tackled by the four that had been left there.

One man held him in a choke hold, another one pinned his arm to the ground while a boy locked down his other. TenTen weighed him down and stared to him through eyes filled with a rush of anger.

“Neji?” Her face softened.

“You know him?” One of the other three asked.

“Get off of him,” she ordered as she crawled back herself. The men did as they were told and stood over the Hyuga who still lied shocked against the ground.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

Neji slowly sat up and looked to her. He wasn’t sure how to explain a thing. He could not see how he would tell her that she had been trafficked and that he was the one who would make sure she performed her unpaying job, “TenTen,” he said.

“You’re scaring me,” she said uneasily at the boy’s hesitance.

“I’m sorry.”

TenTen’s face hardened as she sat staring to the male who was not tied in rope unlike her. It was starting to look worse and worse, “Neji.”

The Hyuga shut his eyes as he stood. He looked down at her, “You were brought here to work.”

“Neji,” she said louder, “What do you mean work?”

“An assembly line,” he lowered his gaze to her roped wrists, “I’m sorry. I had to or else…”

“Neji!”

“They would kill everyone we know,” the Hyuga finished.

TenTen’s eyes rounded in terror, “They?”

“The ones that took us.”

“Why aren’t you tied up?” Her questions came with no time in between, “where are we?” She tried to fight the rope to no avail, “Neji, where are we?” She nearly cried.

“I’m unsure.”

“Why do you have a gun?” She asked more quietly. The sight of it got her to stop her jerking motions.

“They took me and told me that I had to supervise your work otherwise someone else would suffer whether it be my sisters, father, or friends, TenTen.”

“Well, I’m your friend, aren’t I? I’m being hurt!” Her yells were sharp as they echoed through the dark concrete and metal halls.

“Just do what they tell you, and you will be fine,” Neji promised.

“Are you hearing yourself right now?”

“I will try to protect you the best I can, but I cannot promise anything.”

“Neji,” her voice cracked as her eyes welled up, “Where are we?”

Neji shook his head as the final bell rang, signaling that the workday had concluded for the hard laborers just around the corner. Neji looked down the hall.

“What was that?” She asked.

“The day is over. It is time to rest.”

“Neji?”

“Rest. You will work tomorrow.”

“Neji!”

Her voice pained him. He nearly winced as he walked off.

“Neji!”

“TenTen,” he spoke with his back to her, “Just do what they say,” he begged before continuing through the darkened halls.

. . .

“Neji,” Orochimaru called from a room across from the office’s exit, “Have dinner with me,” he smiled.

The two sat across from one another. The man took the Nara’s usual seat since he was still on his trip.

“So, it seems to me you have a new favorite,” Orochimaru began without beating around the bush. It had been the exact opposite of what Neji was trying to portray. The Hyuga kept his eyes to his glass as they waited for their meal. Neji felt the man staring to him through his eyes that buried themselves deeply into anything they came across. The man placed his chin against his wrist as he waited for Neji to chime in, “The girl? Do you like her?”

Neji lifted his chin but kept his eyes on the glass. He did not know how to answer the question but telling him that they know each other would probably lower the man’s trust for him especially after the Asuma incident, “I do,” he decided.

Orochimaru smirked as he leaned away from the table, “I see.”

Neji put his hands together over his lap, keeping his mouth shut.

“Well, you have full reign of whatever goes on down there. You may do as you please,” the man said suggestively. It disgusted the boy before him once Neji ran out of possible alternatives to what Orochimaru had meant. Still, the Hyuga did his best to hide his discomfort. “Soon enough, you’ll care less and less for the opinions of others for as long as you’re here, Neji. You already watch trafficked people do dirty work until they break. Your very presence is threatening, what’s adding one more thing to the list of bad deeds,” he asked as he crossed his leg over the other. It was the darkest the man had ever been since their arrival.

Luckily, Kabuto entered the dining space with the entre right when Neji was pressured to respond accordingly.

Neji ate to keep from having to speak of it any longer, but Orochimaru never moved his gaze from him. It was unsettling enough for the Hyuga to choke, but he continued to eat, sure that the man had picked up on his discomfort.

“Your friend should be back in a week. I’m sure you miss him in all of this, but do not worry. He has the least dangerous job out of you two. Even if he were to get in a wreck, he would most likely be driving the larger vehicle. He would come from the crash without a scratch or penalty. Besides, no one in the outside world has a reason to bring him harm. I hope you can make it until his return.”

Neji found the information odd but he nodded, nevertheless.

“Once he returns, I’ll have you two travel.”

Neji took a second to figure out if he had heard him correctly.

“Yes, travel,” Orochimaru assured after catching the Hyuga’s look of confusion, “I’m sure you’re about as sick of this house as I am. I’ll have Hidan and Kakuzu monitor you two. Kisame will look over the workers while you are gone.”

“Why?” Neji asked losing all interest in the meal he had pretended had his entire mind and heart before.

The man only smiled. He seemed to do things for a reason that only made sense to himself, “I trust you enough to watch over the people that I’ll be sending with you. The workers that are no longer of any use to me will be shipped to the Senju along with the product. Do you know what it is that your friend does while he’s gone?”

“He delivers the product.”

“Do you know where?”

Neji thought it over, “To the Senju?” He guessed.

“You’re a smart boy, Neji. Yes, the Senju. The Senju, once stocked up, distribute it to buyers for me and return the revenue. I have men count it for me to make sure they are not holding back a single coin for themselves. In return this time, they’ll get the useless workers to sell for whatever purpose their clients have in mind,” he explained while taking a sip. “It’s a good deal in my eyes.”

“Why are they useless?”

“Hm?”

“If you are giving them to the Senju, then something must be wrong with them. Would they accept the workers if they are useless?” Neji found himself questioning for a reason unknown to even himself, but his apparent interest seemed to have pleased the man across from him due to his growing smile.

“Well, people can be used for much more than work. They can be used as underground test subjects for vaccines, chemicals, medications. The list goes on, but I’m sure you’ve got it. You’ll take them there along with my product and come back. I’m giving you two a week to get it done and return. Like me, the Senju have their own secret warehouse. They keep my product there while they distribute it. Why, I believe that it’s also where they keep the people that they collect. It’s rather ironic that they are seen as the ones with the halo as opposed to me. Surely selling people to be tortured has to be much worse than forcing labor that isn’t too complex at all. Of course, there is plenty to be done which is why it is so strenuous, but I would never go out of my way to bring them too much pain. I’m currently working on constructing them proper beds to replace what they have now. The workers were not kept here against their will until your father inspired a revolt. Before, they could come and go as they pleased as long as they clocked in, but once I realized that no one truly enjoyed their job, I had to find a way to keep them here, so I locked the elevator and stripped everyone of their phones. Before that, they rarely saw me. They mainly got to know my guards and Hizashi who would monitor them, but I suppose they weren’t intimidated enough. Working conditions weren’t up to par I’m afraid,” he frowned, “They wanted more and refused to work until I met their demands. They wanted me to raise their pay, renovate, grant them more off days. They were all people who couldn’t find work anywhere else but they demanded so much,” he rubbed his temples as he went through the memory, “So, once Hizashi fled with a number of others, I promised that things would change. The next day, the workers returned knowing that they weren’t getting money any other way apart from me, but before they knew it, I locked them down there since they decided to cause such a riot the day prior. It took time to tame them. I had to kill a number of them to get them all to realize that they were there to stay. At the time, my men outnumbered them. Numbers matter less if you’re the one holding the gun of course, but that was before the war had begun. What Hizashi sparked caused a major setback and money dropped. I had to make up for the lost time.”

“What caused the war?” Neji was now confused by Hizashi’s involvement in sparking something between both groups.

“Your father killed a Sarutobi during his run. I don’t know how or why, but he did. The Senju saw it as us waging war because the kill had been sudden and nonsensical. They said it made no sense. They grew angry with us. The loss had an emotional impact on the Sarutobi family and a shootout occurred some days following it, I believe. In the shooting, an officer was killed and the culprit was jailed which was a breach in our agreement to protect them from police. Familial ties cloud judgement,” he leaned back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“So, it was never a matter of you two battling for dominance?”

“Who told you that?” Orochimaru asked.

Neji bit his tongue.

It was the most genuine frown the boy had seen on him yet. Orochimaru leaned forward, “Who told you that?” He repeated.

His look alone coerced the answer from Neji as if he were pulling a thread, “The Senju.”

“Why would they think that? Yes, they have been slow to bring in their dues, but I never declared a battle of dominance,” he looked to the boy through feigned worry. It was as if he had to fake every emotion that would have been acceptable for each situation that he was put in, “Tell me everything they told you, Neji.”

The man did not need to point a gun to his head to get Neji to do exactly as told, “They told me that the Akatsuki had begun to overstep their boundaries. They felt as though your alliance began to turn into them being your servants rather than partners in business.” He kept his eyes to his lap. It was silent for some long and stuffy moments. He wondered if this would be the part where the man finally lost his cool because it was rather significant information.

“They think that I’ve claimed control over everything? Why, I have only continued doing what I’ve done since I’ve been in this position. Why do they feel as if we are monopolizing their business?”

“I am unsure, but that is what the Senju told me before we got here. They told me that our fathers running off sparked the war because it shook the balance of everything. They said that since you lacked his supervision, production had gone down, so they could not perform their end of the bargain. Because of this, the Akatsuki and Uchiha would become distrustful towards them according to the Senju.”

“That is mad. They’ve told you nothing but lies. Why not tell the truth? Hizashi killed a Sarutobi which sparked our differences.”

“Maybe he never killed a Sarutobi,” Neji said, “Maybe that was a lie as well,” his eyes shyly drifted to Orochimaru who now wore concern, “You know nothing regarding the circumstances of the murder. Perhaps it is because there was none.”

“Then, what of the shooting? I know for a fact that an Uchiha had been shot and a Sarutobi was sent to jail.”

“I cannot say,” Neji shook his head unsure of their reasoning.

“Oh no,” Orochimaru sighed, “Lies. The Senju have always been rather skilled at perception. They had all of Konoha to believe that they were in good hands with nothing but Senju in office.” He rested his head against his hand. “It may very well be possible that there was never a murder, but beyond that, nothing lines up.”

“Perhaps the Senju did not tell me of the murder because I was speaking to Hizashi at the time. I could have questioned him and learned the truth. I was in speaking range of the Uchiha back then. The lie could have been exposed too early into whatever the Senju planned,” Neji tried.

“Hm,” the man hummed, “perhaps.” With a sigh, Orochimaru stood, “I’m afraid I’ve lost my appetite. I’m sorry to leave you to yourself, but I believe I will go lie down early this evening. Rest well.”

Neji looked to the man’s plate as he left. The steam had long dissipated. Their food was most likely cool by then, but every arrow began to point towards the Senju as far as the cause of the war between the two major groups.

“Hey.” It was the first time he had heard the voice in a while even before its owner left for days at a time.

Neji turned to find Shikamaru leaning against the grand entrance of the dining room with truck’s keys hanging from his pocket.

. . .

“No, none of that makes sense.”

“Not even Orochimaru understood the reason behind the lies.”

“Maybe someone’s making orders behind his back.”

Neji looked to Shikamaru and processed the idea.

“If he had control over the police, I don’t think the Sarutobi that shot the guy would’ve seen a cell at all.”

“But, Orochimaru knew of the arrest.”

“Yeah, but Hizashi, one of his own men, killed someone from the ally’s side. In turn, the Sarutobi killed one of Orochimaru’s guys which should’ve evened it out – an eye for an eye, but the arrest seems kinda over kill. They’re still uneven until whoever is behind bars is freed if they haven’t been already.”

“Could that be why they are waging war with the Akatsuki?” Neji pondered.

Shikamaru shrugged, “I just work here. Whatever they’ve got going on, they need to figure out.”

Neji supposed that was true, but he couldn’t help but feel as though if the root were to be solved then the war could stop and he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else getting caught in the middle.

“How was the drive?” Neji asked.

“Fucking long,” the Nara huffed as he fell against a cushioned ottoman at the foot of the grand bed.

Neji looked to the keys and gun that the Nara left on the dresser.

“It was pretty simple though. The Sarutobi working there kept giving me this stare that made me think they’d shoot me as soon as I turned my back though, so that wasn’t great, but it’s pretty peaceful overall.”

“Good,” Neji wish he could say the same for himself.

“What about you? What’d you do today?” the Nara asked as if he was expecting the Hyuga to tell of simple everyday errands.

“We had to bring new workers to the warehouse. The Senju take part in human trafficking.”

“They looked like traffickers,” he said, leaning back against the bed.

“They had TenTen.”

“TenTen?” Shikamaru sat up and shot him a look of surprise, “How did they…”

“I do not know, but she is in the basement now. I’m unsure of how I will face her tomorrow.”

“She’s gotta understand that you don’t have much of an option.”

“No, she does not. All she knows is that I have the ability to free her, but I am simply too afraid to do it.”

“Well, hey, don’t beat yourself up about it.”

Neji shut his eyes and folded his arms as he leaned against the dresser, “We need to figure out how to get out of this, Nara,” he lowered his voice as he approached the younger.

“Neji, there’s no way out of this,” Shikamaru began.

“I do not wish to watch them torture these people. I do not want to see them kill anyone else. I hate denying them breaks and food and water. I do not wish to choose from a pile of drugged people who had been taken from their homes to serve others, Nara. I cannot do this day after day.” His eyes told that there was truth in what he said. He stared to the Nara that sat before him. Their eyes locked as Neji said each word quickly in a hushed whisper.

“I didn’t know.”

“I know because you are not there. A girl began to bleed out today and two people spoke up for her only to be shot and replaced without a second in between, Nara.”

“I’m sorry,” Shikamaru said as he stood. There wasn’t much else he could say.

“I try to remain calm. I try to show that I am strong enough to do this, but I am not,” he admitted.

“It’s not a matter of strength. You have a conscious unlike the rest of these guys,” Shikamaru corrected.

“The workers had to clean up their bodies,” Neji added as he allowed his arms to fall to his sides. He stared into the junior’s face to make sure he had gotten the message across.

“Okay,” Shikamaru breathed, letting the Hyuga calm down before continuing, “I know you want these people to get justice, but there’s only so much we can do.”

“Orochimaru is allowing us to travel together in a week to make a delivery. He is giving us a week to travel from here and back.”

“Neji, how…”

“We can figure something out in that time.”

“They are the police.”

“Well,” the Hyuga’s intense stare dropped to the floor as he shook his head, “We can at least sneak TenTen onto the truck and take her home. We can at least visit those we left behind, we could…” he paused remembering that there was no one in Konoha for Shikamaru much, “Choji, Darui, Shino, your mother, we could see them.”

Shikamaru shrugged, “It depends on how far the place is, Neji I can’t just go off course. They have to track the truck somehow. Wouldn’t they send someone to watch over us?”

Neji remembered that Orochimaru had in fact told him that Hidan and Kakuzu would be their watch as they made the delivery. He went quiet.

“Okay,” Shikamaru caught his eyes before dropping his hand, “we can try.”


	64. Chapter 64

Neji watched as the Sarutobi carried the people from the trailer with their bare hands. Once the people were emptied from the container, he, Shikamaru, and Kakuzu went in to unload Orochimaru’s product. They only held the boxes briefly before they were taken by more Sarutobi who seemed disgruntled by their very being. The other three allowed it to roll off their shoulders, but Neji began to wonder if they were truly in any danger.

“Hey, what about that one?” One Sarutobi asked, pointing towards a lumped blanket towards the far corner of the trailer.

“It was only there for the workers,” Neji answered quickly.

Everyone eyed him except Shikamaru who started back towards the front of the truck. Seeing how dismissive the Nara was, the rest finally followed and climbed into the truck and allowed its engine to run for a bit before pulling off. It was Neji’s first time in a vehicle of its size and it was mildly concerning that they would trust someone of Shikamaru’s age to drive it after so little instruction, but the boy was a quick learner and continued to learn as he went. It was reassuring, so the matter did not stump Neji for too long.

“Hey, where ya goin’? The house is back that way,” Hidan complained when Shikamaru drove past the exit.

“We’re not going back just yet. We gotta make a few stops,” the Nara informed casually.

For a while there was silence from the back seat until Hidan finally exclaimed, “Stops?!”

“Hidan,” Kakuzu warned.

“No, to hell with that! Where are we going, _driver_?” Hidan mocked.

“We’re just gonna visit some people we left in Konoha.”

“Konoha?! It’s gonna take days to get there, what are you, crazy? I didn’t pack an overnight bag and I’m damn sure you didn’t,” he said pointing to Kakuzu.

“Be quiet,” the larger man ordered.

“No, I’m pissed!” Hidan refused like a toddler, “I’m calling Orochimaru.” He dialed the number and put the phone to his ear, “They’re taking us to Konoha! What is this?!” He waited for the man to respond, “Well, no one ran that by me!” He yelled before hanging up.

“We can’t go to police,” Shikamaru reminded.

“Do I look like a give a damn about police?! I don’t feel like traveling across half the damn continent!”

. . .

It didn’t take long for Hidan to fall asleep. The truck continued to cruise through the furthest most right lane on the highway as they headed in the direction of the heart of Konohagakure. Neji looked into the mirror to find Kakuzu was still awake. The large man stared through the window to his right while the man to his left slobbered against his shoulder. Kakuzu did not seem to speak or react much. He was unreadable even more so than their employer.

“The police have been notified of your arrival,” Kakuzu spoke.

The two understood the precaution they were taking even if the two had no visible way out of the situation.

“I apologize for his behavior,” he said suddenly, “I want to kill him, but Orochimaru will not allow it. He is off limits.”

“What makes him so damn special?” Shikamaru asked, raising a brow but not exactly out of impressment.

“He is a hitman that Orochimaru is sure would not back out of his job. Hidan enjoys slaughter. He follows Jashinism which requires him to make occasional sacrifices to his god. His occupation works in his favor. I still want to kill him.”

“Well, I’m not stopping you,” Shikamaru said, keeping his eyes on the road.

Neji looked to the boy at the sound of his wording.

“Thank you,” Kakuzu said needlessly.

Neji kept his eyes on Shikamaru who drove calmly, not looking much different than he typically did, but the Hyuga was sure that he resented the man that sat just behind him.

. . .

The Nara tossed soap and shampoo onto the checkout desk. Neji stood next to him as he looked around the hotel’s small convenience shop to spot Hidan speaking to Kakuzu over something that he was sure the quiet man would pay no mind to.

“Are they rooming with us?” Neji asked.

“No,” Shikamaru said before taking the items and walking out of the shop without notifying the other two. Neji followed him. Shikamaru walked faster than usual; he was clearly angry over Hidan being there, but there was nothing he could truly do. Neji didn’t know what there was to say, so he only followed after him towards the building’s elevators.

They stood side by side as the lift climbed floor after floor. “Shikamaru.”

Nothing.

“You want him gone,” Neji guessed.

“I want him to go to hell to whatever the fuck he worships.” The answer’s quickness showed that he had been simmering over the matter since he saw the man in red hopping down the mansion steps to join them.

The elevator came to a stop and let the two off. They walked silently through the hall, passing door after door until the Nara came to an abrupt stop in front of room six-ten. He slid the key card in. As soon as they entered, a loud crash of thunder sounded just outside which seemed to shake the room. There was a tornado warning out which made them seek a hotel to stay in. Otherwise, they would have had to sleep in the truck and continue without ever stopping anywhere. In a way, Neji was grateful for the weather. The wind whipped past the windows and seemed to sing haunting songs as the rain sounded of a monsoon that was trying its hardest to sink them.

Shikamaru lied on the bed and kicked off his shoes before shutting his eyes. He seemed to be in a rush just the same as Hidan had been when they went to pick up the people from the hands of the Senju. It was odd to Neji and worried him greatly.

“Shikamaru.”

The Nara opened his eyes to look to the elder male.

“I know you are angry.”

Shikamaru’s tired eyes remained fixed on him. They were discomforting oddly enough.

“Do you plan to…”

Shikamaru only nodded before grabbing a pillow to rest underneath his head.

Neji feared that might have been the case, “Shikamaru, what if you regret it?”

“I won’t,” he said.

“Do not do it,” Neji shook his head. He could not explain why the Nara should refrain from ending the man’s life, but the idea of the boy gathering blood on his hands when it was avoidable was more than just upsetting.

Shikamaru continued to stare at him, so Neji continued to look to him.

“Why don’t you try to kill Orochimaru?” Shikamaru asked.

“What do you mean?” Neji furrowed his brows, “He is a powerful man and has done nothing yet that put me in the position to…”

“He killed your mother.”

Neji paused midsentence. Orochimaru had to have been the one to order Shisui to take his mother’s life years ago. The mother that he shared with his sisters had been undeserving of such an end, “Yes, but…”

“He killed your grandfather.”

“Shikamaru, I cannot…”

“Are you not angry?”

“I am. I am angry, but if I killed him, it would only worsen my family’s case,” Neji argued.

“Would his henchmen really have a reason to kill your sisters and dad if their ringleader was dead?” Shikamaru sat up on the bed and faced the Hyuga who still stood in the center of the room.

Neji maintained his eye contact as he drew a blank. Shikamaru raised his brows waiting for an answer.

“They wouldn’t, Neji. Unless they had an heir or vice leader that would care enough to avenge Orochimaru, then it probably wouldn’t happen. They have control over the Uchiha who follow his orders out of fear? Fear of what? The Senju? What would happen if the Uchiha sided with the Senju and left the Akatsuki to stand on their own? Yeah, they had their differences but that was between the Senju and Akatsuki mostly. What’s keeping them from switching over? It’s been decades. Who would come after you if you killed the leader of their enemy?”

“It is not that simple, Nara.”

Deep down, Shikamaru knew that, but he was filled with rage. Nevertheless, he let the case drop before he lied back against the bed.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot, and you know that,” Neji said.

Shikamaru shut his eyes and nodded.

Finally, Neji left the center of the room to lie down next to the Nara who seemed to be inching further towards sleep having been forced on the wheel the entire way. Even with being so close to sleep, Neji could see the disdain shaping his features. The boy was tense and itched for revenge. The Hyuga could even see it in the boy’s hands.

“Whatever it is that you feel you should do,” Neji began, “do it.”

Shikamaru opened his eyes and stared to the dull ceiling that lacked light apart from the single lamp that sat next to him. He felt Neji lie down next to him. Although it had been a green card to take out what he felt however he wished, Shikamaru still knew what the Hyuga begged for him to do.

“Sorry,” Shikamaru apologized after swallowing.

Neji stared to the thick, grey curtains right next to them that sat right over the room’s air conditioning unit. The rain had quieted, “It is fine.”

“I told you to kill a man.”

“You did,” Neji realized aloud.

The cooling air that shot out from the air conditioner finally silenced, making the quiet deafening.

Shikamaru snickered right next to him, surprising Neji. It was sudden and didn’t seem to have any place in the moment, “Sorry,” he laughed.

Neji’s eyes wandered the bit of the room he could see from where he lied.

“I swear I’m sane.”

“How are you going to do it?” Neji asked.

“Wow, you lost faith in me.”

Neji propped his weight up on his elbow and looked to the Nara, “Are you not going to?”

Shikamaru shrugged before looking Neji in the face with a gentle smile, “Would kinda suck if I had to fill in for him if he died, I guess,” he considered as his eyes traveled down the Hyuga’s hair that hung over his shoulder, “Your hair’s long.”

Neji frowned in confusion. The boy had known him long enough to have realized at least that much was as clear as day.

“It’s cool,” Shikamaru said groggily.

“You are tired.”

“Can I touch it?”

Neji stared to the boy as he reached out and gently ran his fingers down its length. Once comfortable, he twirled it in his fingers as the Hyuga watched how concentrated he was on the strands.

“You are strange,” the Hyuga noted aloud.

Shikamaru brought the hair up and placed them over Neji’s lip to form a makeshift mustache. He shrugged at the senior’s comment. His lazy smile was gone, replaced by one that showed of only concentration and concentration alone. It was amazing how much dedication he could show for the most mundane things. Neji allowed him to play with the hairs that framed his face if it meant it would rid the other of any murderous intent temporarily. Not too long after, the Nara reached out his other arm and touched the hairs on the other side of the Hyuga’s face. Still, Neji watched Shikamaru as he played, showing his more child-like side once again. It was actually refreshing in the strangest way that Neji would have never thought. For a moment, it was almost as if Neji was not a supervisor of trafficked peoples and Shikamaru didn’t transport a highly illegal substance day after day. They were both relatively calm for the first time in a while. Finally, neither of their lives were in immediate danger. The Nara’s strange antics calmed Neji. Then again, he tended to have that effect on anyone he was around it seemed. It was just who he was. For Shikamaru, Neji kept him grounded, talked sense into him. It was a good deal on either end.

Shikamaru raised the tip of Neji’s hair to the Hyuga’s nose and tickled it for fun. Neji moved his head back slightly at the feeling and shook his head to tell the Nara to stop, so the younger did, but he continued toying with it. Shikamaru took his eyes from the strands and looked to Neji before dropping the hair with a sigh. He offered another lazy grin, confusing the boy above him before he leaned up and connected their lips. Slowly, Shikamaru allowed his head to fall back against the pillow as Neji followed. Their lips moved slowly, almost like a gentle caress until Neji tilted just a bit to really capture the Nara’s lips with his own. The Hyuga placed a hand against the bed on the other side of the boy beneath him as Shikamaru led the kiss. Then, Neji placed his knee between the Nara’s legs just for the sake of being steady as the contact deepened. Soon, the Nara placed his hand against the Hyuga’s shoulder while the other found its way to his waist. He gripped the elder boy firmly without diverting Neji’s attention from his lips. The hand that rested against his shoulder fell to support Shikamaru as the Nara sat up. Still, Neji’s lips danced across his own even as he sat in the boy’s lap. Shikamaru planted kisses to the corner of Neji’s mouth then neck. He gave Neji’s pulse all of his undivided attention as his arms tightened around his waist. Neji stretched his neck to maximize the sensation. His breath quickened at what felt like bliss before Shikamaru found his way back to the Hyuga’s lips which Neji answered without a moment to waste. The kiss was quicker and more forceful as Shikamaru flicked his tongue across Neji’s lips triggering the elder to open his mouth without hesitation. Their tongues glided past one another, but it did little to disconnect their lips. Neji wrapped his arms around Shikamaru’s neck as his hips rocked occasionally in a slow, sultry motion. The Nara unwrapped his own arms and gripped the male’s waist with either hand, brushing his thumbs against him as he rocked. They kissed and, in the mix, small sounds that were heavy breaths if not moans spilled from one to the other until they were breathless. Shikamaru disconnected first with a wet smack before falling back against the pillow. He looked up at Neji who still sat on his lap, straddling his hips, breathing just as quickly. He stared down at the boy beneath him through lustful eyes that the Nara was too winded to answer.

Neji moved to dismount the boy before his leg was gripped firmly by the Nara who then added his other to the opposite leg. Neji looked back to him and placed a hand by Shikamaru’s head as he eased himself against the junior. Neji placed his head right next to the Nara’s and looked to him as he traced Shikamaru’s jaw with his fingers.

Shikamaru kept his eyes closed as they settled down. In the past, it was normally Neji that tired out first. It had taken the Nara by surprise when he was the first to feel lightheaded by the rush. He let out a breath, “Okay,” he sighed.

Neji was confused by the word before he was rolled over onto his back with the Nara over him. Shikamaru had a firm grip of the wrist that belonged to the hand that had traced along his face only seconds ago. Neji’s eyes widened before Shikamaru placed firm kisses against the same spot on his neck that he had attacked minutes ago. Again, he wrapped his arms around the Hyuga’s waist as he buried himself in between Neji’s neck and jaw.

Neji placed his hand against the Nara’s shoulder and gripped tightly as he ravished the spot. His opposite hand came to grip the back of the boy’s head to bury him deeper. Neji’s knee lifted as the boy ground down just slightly. He panted with every touch and grope as Shikamaru continued down the column until his lips met the Hyuga’s collar bone which he revealed by pulling on the collar of the male’s shirt. Neji always arched up towards his mouth wherever it may be and never grew tired of the feeling it left against his skin.

Shikamaru moved back up and delivered another kiss to Neji’s pulse before lifting himself up and falling against his side of the bed.

Neji immediately sat up and folded both his legs and arms worried he had done something wrong.

“Night.”

Neji sat there confused, aroused, and annoyed by the sudden stop, “What?”

“Night,” Shikamaru repeated.

“Are you serious?” Neji whispered.

“Hm?”

Neji’s brow twitched in the dark as his irritation bubbled, “I...”

“Hm? Oh,” Shikamaru said as he felt for Neji in the dark before gripping Neji’s hard-on through his pants causing the Hyuga’s knees to draw up in response. “Here,” the Nara moved to where he was positioned between Neji’s legs. He undid the male’s belt before a hand was placed against his head.

“Forget it,” Neji said, pushing the boy away. He was thankful for the darkness. The situation was both aggravating and embarrassing and he was sure that it tinted his cheeks.

“Mh,” the other mumbled before flopping against his side of the bed.

Neji fastened his belt and narrowed his eyes in awkward irritation.

He really was strange.


	65. Chapter 65

Shikamaru yawned as he turned over, “Morning,” he said, reaching out for Neji only for his hand to be slapped away immediately.

. . .

They rode up front silently as Hidan went on and on about the people he’s killed, but the two up front drowned it out as Shikamaru half focused on the road and half thought about last night. He did not expect the Hyuga to be this angry, but he was proven wrong with each glance he gave the other. Neji only looked through his window with his legs crossed and arms folded. He had been silent all morning and only spoke when he told Shikamaru to hurry up in the bathroom.

“Hey, how much longer do we have?” Hidan asked.

Shikamaru grew increasingly angry with anything that even did so much as remind him of the man let alone the man himself, “three hours.”

“Fuck,” the silver haired man complained, “Kakuzu, where’d you get all that cash? You didn’t rob that convenience store, did you? God, you’re hopeless.”

Shikamaru wished he would shut up.

“Guess I’ll try to sleep until then, for the third time already,” Hidan made sure to add.

Once he dozed off with his feet across the Kakuzu’s lap, Shikamaru spoke, “Neji, could you turn the AC on?”

“Open a window.”

He was still mad.

Shikamaru nodded, noting that he shouldn’t bother the male for the rest of the trip.

“Did you break up?” Kakuzu asked unexpectedly.

“We aren’t together,” Neji said before Shikamaru could.

The Nara frowned.

Hidan kicked violently in his sleep.

Kakuzu did not budge, “I want to kill him.”

. . .

Hiashi opened his door to find Neji, Shikamaru, Hidan, and Kakuzu on his doorstep. He stared in shock to each individual before looking to Neji, “What…”

Neji hugged him tightly after being away for so long without a word as to where he was, if he was safe or in danger, “I am fine, I promise,” he assured.

“Who…”

“They’re here to make sure we don’t do something,” the Nara explained vaguely.

“Can we come in?” Kakuzu asked.

. . .

They all sat in the living room facing one another awkwardly. The group sat on the sofa while Hiashi faced them in a chair.

“Where are they?” Neji asked of his sisters.

“Upstairs,” Hiashi answered, still unsure of what to think of the other men who sat with guns on their laps.

“Is Haku still here?”

Hiashi hesitated, “He stayed for some time before going to stay with Sasuke’s family. I’m sorry, Neji, but I wasn’t comfortable with him staying here.”

Neji understood. Haku was eerily quiet and had darkness written all over his pale face. Still, it hadn’t been the best of news.

“Why’s your sofa so low? Damn near thought I was falling when I sat,” Hidan laughed being the only one who thought he was rather humorous.

“Be quiet,” Kakuzu ordered.

Hidan placed a hand over his mouth as he snorted, bobbing his foot up and down energetically.

“Neji,” Hiashi began, moving his attention from the obnoxious man to his son right next to him, “Where have you been all this time?”

That question got Hidan to stop laughing. He and Kakuzu eyed Neji, waiting for his response. That day, they had left the manor without being blindfolded.

“Far,” he answered.

“Neji, where were you?”

“I cannot say,” the boy finally answered regrettably, “how are Hinata and Hanabi?”

Hiashi sat back unsatisfied but aware that he would not get the answer easily. He stared to his son before looking to the two strangers grudgingly, “they’re just fine. I ordered them to stay upstairs for,” he looked to the two guns on display, “obvious reasons.”

“Oh, come on, we’re not gonna kill them unless they try to kill us,” Hidan said as if it would solve the issue.

Hiashi gripped his pants. Neji was the only one who could tell it was out of anger rather than discomfort or fear.

“Can you tell them that I am alright?” Neji asked before standing.

“Are you leaving?” His father asked as he rose right after him.

“Yes, I have to go.”

Not even the other two, armed men expected Neji to conclude the meeting so soon after only seeing him for a couple of minutes. However, Shikamaru stood and exited the living room first after getting the memo, leaving the other three behind as if he had expected the quick departure.

“I hope to see you all again soon,” Neji smiled just barely before heading towards the door. The smile was worn and did not slip past Hiashi for a second.

“Neji,” the man called.

Said Hyuga turned to face the worried man.

“I took the house off the market.”

“Realized you couldn’t run, huh? Don’t worry, you’re not the first to realize that,” Hidan voiced from the couch, only making matters worse.

“I will kill you,” Kakuzu threatened emptily right next to him.

“Like hell,” Hidan said before leaving the rest to themselves. Soon, he was followed by Kakuzu who was sure nothing would come from leaving Neji alone to speak to Hiashi.

“It’s true,” Hiashi eased his eyes open once Hidan was gone, “We can’t run, so we’ll have to cope. I don’t know how we’ve been fine for so many years until just now.”

“It will be alright,” Neji assured as he approached the man, “I am fine. As long as I do what they say, you will all be alright. Please do not worry.”

Hiashi’s eyes softened. Through his eyes, he was sacrificing someone he had promised to protect years ago.

“They gave me a simple job. My boss runs a business. I make sure that everything runs smoothly. That is all.”

“Neji,” Hiashi shook his head before his son embraced him just to save his breath; there was nothing left to say.

. . .

Hidan fell asleep all over again as they drove to the other side of the district. Kakuzu never did so much as nod off. Shikamaru came to a loud stop right in the middle of a two-laned road surrounded by woods. He parked it and unfastened his seat belt. Kakuzu said nothing as Neji opened the truck door and stepped out.

Neji walked to the back of the truck trailer and worked on the latches until the back opened. He eased one of the trailer’s doors open and helped TenTen from its height.

“Thank you, thank you,” she cried quietly.

“Stay here and stand behind the truck until we drive. We will be sure to distract them long enough for you to run into the bushes. Do you know where you are?” He spoke in a rushed manner.

“Yes, yes,” she sniffled.

“Can you find your way home from here?”

The girl nodded frantically before they heard the truck door slam shut. Neji pointed the girl to the other side of the truck, so she would not be spotted. She rushed as quietly as she could and kept her head low until she rounded the front of the truck where she peaked around once again to find a silver-haired man, clad in red walking towards the back of the truck followed by Shikamaru who she watched slowly pull something from his jacket. She gasped as the knife shone in the afternoon sun and covered her mouth when the Nara sent it into his back.

Hidan’s yelled was muffled by Shikamaru’s hand as he sunk slowly to the street in pain. Once he fell, Shikamaru looked to Neji who stared right at Hidan in shock. Not even he saw it coming before it was all over.

“I’m sorry,” the Nara apologized as he watched the man suffer against the street, but it was not Hidan he was apologizing to, it was Neji.

“Where the fuck did you get this?” Hidan let out pained breaths.

“His dad’s kitchen,” he answered before bending over to lift Hidan’s gun that he had shoved from the man’s grip after piercing his back.

“Damn bastard,” Hidan cursed quietly almost as if his volume would worsen his pain. He watched the Nara hand the firearm to Neji with two fingers as if the weapon was the scum of the earth. Shikamaru then crouched over Hidan and watched as pained tears threatened to trickle down.

TenTen took the chance to run into the woods, but she did not go undetected. Kakuzu opened the truck door, startling both TenTen and Neji. The Hyuga gripped the gun tightly as he took aim for him before he could climb down. Kakuzu looked to Neji, Shikamaru, then Hidan who groaned in pain between pants.

“Kakuzu, shoot them! Take the shot!” Hidan yelled.

Kakuzu stood with his hand on the truck door and observed his partner in crime before simply leaning back into the truck, shutting the door behind him, leaving Hidan in shock.

“He…” the criminal began.

Neji froze with the gun still aimed towards the front of the truck. By then, TenTen was long gone.

“Get his wallet,” Kakuzu called through the truck window.

Shikamaru dug through Hidan’s pockets, not even stopping when his wrist was gripped.

“What are you doing?” Neji asked.

“Looking for his wallet like the guy with the gun asked.”

Neji looked up to find Kakuzu’s hand sticking out of the window aimed directly at them. He had far more cover than the Hyuga, so Neji’s disproval died in his throat. He simply lowered his gun and watched as Shikamaru stood with the leather wallet in hand. Unsurprisingly, it had the Jashin symbol on it just like the man’s pistol. Shikamaru tossed it once and caught it before stuffing it into his back pocket.

“Hey!” Hidan called with his face planted against the road before hissing in pain.

“Come on,” Shikamaru said to the Hyuga who watched the blood paint the street. Hidan didn’t have long.

The Hyuga looked to the Nara then back down to the man that they had discarded on the side of the road. Though the man was despicable, he couldn’t help but feel bad for him, “Perhaps someone will find you,” Neji tried.

“I’ll kill your whole fucking family! Get back here!”

That put a bad taste in Neji’s mouth, so he stepped over the man and made his way to the truck door, hoping the creatures of the night left no remains of him.

The truck was silent. There was an unspoken agreement that each one of them were perfectly fine with the man gone even if the method of which they went about it was cruel.

“I want to shop,” Kakuzu said.

Neji looked to Shikamaru who was just as confused by the sudden claim, but they had nothing but time to kill since they still had five days to get back to the manor.

. . .

Shikamaru parked the truck in numerous empty parking spots towards the back of the mall’s lot. Kakuzu climbed out of the vehicle leaving the two to wonder if they should remain in the truck or leave. Once Kakuzu shut the door, the question seemed to swell.

“Neji.”

The Hyuga straightened his back.

“I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“Killing him.”

“I knew you would do it.” It was not what he was seemingly upset over.

“I’m sorry about last night. If I knew you’d be this mad, I wouldn’t have just left you hanging. I didn’t know you wanted to go further than just that.”

Neji looked to Shikamaru with a blank expression. It put the Nara off. He didn’t know what to think.

“I am not mad over it. I was never angry,” Neji informed.

“Then why’d you ignore me all morning? You were mad about something.”

“I was never mad, Nara. I was only embarrassed,” the Hyuga admitted, “but it is over. It no longer matters,” he said as he looked back through the window.

Shikamaru looked to his own lap as he slouched back in his seat. Neji gripped the seat as he leaned forward towards the dashboard.

“Do you want to get out?” Neji asked.

. . .

Just walking through the mall’s floors was surreal. They had not been in the general public for some time. The last time they were here, things had been simple. The mall’s music played overhead but barely higher than the ruckus of its customers. Groups and couples alike crowded the walkways and stores looking for the next best thing while Neji and Shikamaru only admired its familiarity.

“Is that new?” Shikamaru asked as he scrutinized the large neon green sign just over a store right before them.

“What was there before?” Neji asked as he retraced his steps to meet the intrigued Nara.

Shikamaru shrugged.

“Do you want to go in?” Neji asked.

“No, it’s just a candy place. You think that place still has that stuff I picked up last time?” He asked before looking back to Neji, “Remember the place we went into the last time we were here?”

Neji thought about the day Shikamaru smiled to him foolishly after studying his reflection in the small mirror. He had been trying on a plain hat. There was nothing special about it, but the day was clear in Neji’s mind along with the shirt the boy had picked out. Neji believed there was another item that caught Shikamaru’s eye, but he couldn’t remember it exactly. Before he knew it, he was following Shikamaru to the very store that had caught his attention weeks if not months ago.

It was just as overwhelming as it had been before. The shoes still took up an entire wall while t-shirts and snap back hats took up another. The clearance area remained where it had been before, but the only difference is that the clearance bins held summer attire. Neji supposed the air had begun to cool down recently. He looked around to find signs of an autumn sale with racks filled to the tip with sweatshirts and fluffy socks for the cooler season that had just begun to breeze through. It really told of how long they had been running thin by their situation.

“They have them,” Shikamaru said, catching Neji’s attention.

The Hyuga looked to the boy to find him holding a pair of socks over the mess of the clearance area. That had been the item that Neji had forgotten. They were still covered in bloody knives, only this time they didn’t seem as obscene. He approached Shikamaru and grabbed them to observe them himself.

“Might get them this time.”

“Really?” Neji asked as he flipped them over in his hands.

“Just ‘cause I have more cash with me,” he leaned against the bin and stared to the socks, “Besides, the weather’s fine, so we probably won’t have to pay for a hotel.”

Neji frowned at the idea of sleeping in the truck, but he did not argue.

“Neji?”

The Hyuga lifted his head at the voice. It had been too distant for it to have belonged to Shikamaru. He turned towards the entrance to see multiple familiar faces. Just outside of the shop stood Ino, Sakura, Karui, Naruto, and another younger boy, Konohamaru Sarutobi.

Neji stared to them before handing the socks back to Shikamaru who was just as surprised.

“Oh my gosh,” Ino rushed into the store and wrapped the Hyuga in a tight, one-armed hug since the other was weighed down by belongings that she had just purchased, “Where were you?!”

“I was,” he paused as he thought through everything, “away,” he decided.

Neji looked over them all.

“Everyone thought you were dead!” Naruto exclaimed.

“Why?” Neji furrowed his brows.

“Everyone was saying you killed yourself because of what Kiba did at the party. Some people said that you might’ve been kidnapped by the guy that you were seen with in that cab,” the Uzumaki explained.

“I see,” Neji had forgotten how out of hand high school rumors could be.

“Shikamaru, everyone said you just dropped out,” Naruto said unamused.

The Nara tilted his head, silently admitting that it was fair enough.

“Wait, so where _have_ you been?” Ino asked urgently.

“Working.”

“Okay? Specifics please.”

Neji’s face went cold thinking over dumping a man’s body into the ocean, running from place to place, breaking a man’s arm with a discarded pipe, shooting another, watching over tortured people, and choosing who would be a victim next. He shook his head, keeping his eyes distant.

“Well, did you run away?” Ino pressed on.

Neji’s eyes found their way back to the girl.

“Neji, we haven’t been able to reach you for the longest. What’s going on? Even your dad doesn’t want to tell us anything.”

Neji’s prolonged silence sent a visible chill through her, halting all attempts to gain any intel from the male.

“I was busy far from here.”

Each teen stared curiously. Ino looked past Neji towards the Nara who tossed the socks back into the bin behind him before siding with Neji, “Okay,” she finally settled.

“How is everything?” Neji asked.

“Fine,” the girl said.

“More or less,” Sakura sighed. That seemed to cast a dull curtain over each of them. “Sasuke and Kiba stopped coming to school. Sasuke won’t tell us anything, and Kiba…”

“He’s a drug addict out of nowhere,” Karui finished.

“Karui!” Sakura exclaimed.

“Drugs?” Shikamaru asked.

“Yeah, but it’s none of our business,” Karui shrugged.

Shikamaru’s eyes were fixed on Konohamaru who stood close to Naruto. He, similar to Neji, had only seen him once, but the time he had seen the boy was outside of school, “Hey.”

Konohamaru looked up to spot someone familiar to him.

“I don’t know if you remember me,” Shikamaru said.

“I do. You’re Uncle Asuma’s friend,” Konohamaru nodded. He was much more dull than the first impression Shikamaru had gotten of him years ago. The boy’s uncle was gone, but the reason behind that was gone too. He was abandoned in the street with a knife piercing his kidney from behind. “He went missing, you know? Him and my grandpa.” That had to be the one that was trying to save Asuma that night.

“So, he’s staying with me until they find them,” Naruto smiled as he put a reassuring arm around the boy who smiled lightly at the gesture.

Ino sighed, “So, yeah our group is falling apart, so I guess that’s why I started talking to her again.”

Karui rolled her eyes as Ino smiled.

“Are you guys okay?” Sakura asked suddenly. Neither boy knew how to answer, so they were unresponsive.

“Neji, Shikamaru,” Kakuzu walked towards them from the entrance. Out of the whole mall, this particular store seemed to have the mysterious luck of reuniting those known to others, “Let’s go. I have everything I need.”

The group of teens seemed a bit rattled by the large man with intense tattoos that even stretched across his mouth.

“Alright,” Shikamaru said before continuing without a second thought. Neji was slower to join him as he looked over the others briefly.

“I will see you later,” Neji said.

“Later?” Ino raised a brow doubtfully, even more intrigued than before at the sight of Kakuzu not only knowing their names but telling them they had to leave here and now, “When?”

Neji shook his head cluelessly as he exited the store, “Soon enough.”


	66. Chapter 66

“Oh, my baby!” The woman babied out as she walked to her son with open arms. She held the word out until the boy was in arm’s length, “How are you?” She asked as she rubbed the Nara’s back.

“Fine, Mom,” Shikamaru said.

Neji could tell he was embarrassed by the woman’s behavior.

“Oh, and who is this lovely lady – oh! – young man? Hi, what’s your name?” She asked as she held her arm out. Neji came close to taking it before it quickly retracted. He looked to her to find the woman side eying him, “Neji?” She asked.

Neji raised a brow.

“Mom,” Shikamaru breathed out.

“You’re just as gorgeous as I thought you’d be!”

“Mom!” The Nara exclaimed before turning and mumbling curses.

“What was that?” The woman asked threateningly, all cheer gone in a flash.

Shikamaru’s shoulders fell and he sighed before he turned to face the woman in her front yard that was lit by porch lights alone, “Why?” He asked, spreading his arms as wide as they would go whilst his hands remained in the pockets of his jacket.

“Why do you continue to wear sleeves when it’s blazing outside is the real question,” she shot back, “like a freak of nature wearing sweaters in the summertime,” she continued before looking back to Neji. She looked him up and down, “well,” she smiled, “aren’t you something to look at?” She commented before taking a drag from her cigarette. She wore a fitted dress and high heels. Red, pointed nails adorned her bracelets and makeup. She exhaled smoke to the side as she took the Hyuga in with her eyes.

“You’re making him feel weird,” Shikamaru said from behind the woman.

“Oh, please, my stare is a compliment. Here, I ordered pizza a couple days ago, go nuke some up or something,” she took another drag of smoke, “maybe it’ll shut you up,” she mumbled.

Shikamaru didn’t need to be told twice.

. . .

“Who the fuck is this guy again?” Yoshino asked, staring to Kakuzu who watched them all from the corner of the kitchen.

Shikamaru sighed.

“Our supervisor,” Neji answered.

“What? Like after hours or something? What are you – a nanny?” She asked the man directly before laughing with a snort, dispersing smoke through the air.

Kakuzu looked to the Nara who seemed worn out from the visit that had only lasted just a few minutes.

“Didn’t I tell you to take the pizza out?”

Shikamaru took his mother’s cigarette.

“Hey, what the fuck are you doing?”

“I thought you stopped,” Shikamaru said before putting it out in an ash tray that the woman did not even bother to hide.

“Yeah, well you didn’t give me a chance to hide it before you pulled up in one of your father’s rides. So, what’s up with that? Is Shikaku out there?”

“No.”

“Oh,” she frowned, “don’t tell me you’re following in his footsteps.”

Shikamaru stared to her before deciding to take her up on her pizza offer.

“Hey, wait a minute,” the woman called as the boy opened the fridge.

“How long have you been smoking?” The boy asked to throw the subject.

“No, you answer me first.”

“I’m starting to hear the nicotine in your voice,” her son remarked as he rummaged through her fridge for anything but pizza.

“Don’t eat my salad, put it back.”

Shikamaru sealed the bowl he had been snooping through, “It’s that guy’s truck,” Shikamaru answered motioning over towards Kakuzu.

“Yeah, okay, I figured,” she nodded as she lit another cigarette, “but what the hell are you doing in it is what I wanna know.”

“Taking lessons,” Shikamaru surrendered. He could not tell her that he was truly the operator of the vehicle since it was widely known to be highly illegal. He didn’t have a legitimate license. It was not that it mattered to him; he just wanted to be spared the conversation.

“Shika, you don’t want to be like your father, okay? Trust me when I tell you it’s a lonely life with long shifts,” she warned as she leaned against the kitchen hatch, “I mean if you’re gonna do that, how are you gonna be with Neji over here?”

Shikamaru’s head fell against a refrigerator shelf with a thud.

“Huh? I mean think about it. Think about him being all alone in some shitty house that you’re always gone on some job just to barely pay for. Gods forbid you guys get a kid or a pet even,” she sucked in smoke before continuing, “cutie, what do you see in him, really? I always ask myself that whenever I think back to me and his father. What got me to stay?”

Neji stood awkwardly having been put in the odd situation, “Well…” he began as he looked to Shikamaru who had yet to lift his head.

“Close the door, you’re running my bill through the roof,” she said before looking to Neji. She raised her hand and silently mouthed, “what the fuck?”

“Anyways, what do you see in this dork here?” Yoshino asked, “humor me.”

“Mom, please shut the fuck up.”

Yoshino let out a laugh with a slight rasp, “hold on, sweetie, I’m playing matchmaker.”

“Matchmaker?” Shikamaru deadpanned, “A divorced woman playing matchmaker.”

“Okay, _you_ shut the fuck up,” she ordered, pointing her cigarette to the boy who shared a fair share of her facial features, “Let Neji speak.”

“Well…” Neji tried again before Shikamaru exited the kitchen. Yoshino paid the boy no mind and kept her powdered eyes on the Hyuga that felt so out of place right then.

“It’s okay to say you saw nothing in him, you know? It’s the answer I leaned towards with his father before our divorce.”

“Shikamaru is nice,” Neji decided.

Yoshino froze. Her stare was the clearest one she had given the boy yet, and it unsettled him. He wondered if his wording had been insufficient. Suddenly, Yoshino let out a hearty laugh that boomed through the house. Neji was sure that her son had heard it without a doubt as it continued obnoxiously.

“He’s nice?!” The woman repeated, “Well, shit, what else? He sounds like the whole package!”

Neji frowned not wishing to give the Nara so little credit, “Well, he is kind,” he thought of the dead rabbit he had buried, “considerate,” the chocolate bar, “caring,” the apology. Neji stared to the ground as the scene of Shikamaru stabbing Hidan while his back was turned pushed its way to the front of all the other warm characteristics he had seen come from the boy. The Hyuga bit the inside of his lip.

“Really?” She composed herself and looked to him more seriously. The absence of her laughter was now deafening. “So, based on his reaction, I take it you guys aren’t dating and I just embarrassed the hell outta him, huh?”

. . .

“Come out, I’m sorry, I thought you guys were practically together,” Yoshino called as she knocked on a door to what Neji assumed to be his old room.

The Hyuga debated on just waiting outside for their reunion to conclude, but before he could Yoshino was by his side again, “He’ll be okay. If you know anything about him, he’s like me and his father; he doesn’t let stuff stick. If anything, he’s probably just asleep or something,” she said as she watched the door before nudging the Hyuga, “So, you’re not together?”

Neji shook his head.

“Fuck,” she groaned as her eyes rolled back to the door.

“Did he speak of me?” Neji finally asked after being under that impression since stepping foot on the woman’s property.

“Oh, yeah. Man, did he,” she nodded as if there were an infinite amount of records that she could pull up to prove her point, “and I can see why. You’re a looker and you don’t talk too much. He hates it when people constantly fill the silence which is why I guess he wanted to move back in with his dad, well, move out to be alone if we’re being technical here.”

Neji watched the door as the woman’s words sank in. His eyes drifted to the floor as the truth began to reshape everything that they had done or been through together. A small smile shaped his lips before it fell as he remembered everything prior to the Akatsuki or the Senju. They only spoke to one another if they needed to let off physical tension or steam and nothing more. Neji wondered how long the Nara had the feelings and held onto them in silence. He wondered if they developed in between their arrangement or prior. It had to be sometime between them since he had no way of reaching Yoshino while they’ve been on the run. Still, everything Shikamaru had done had a whole new meaning through Neji’s eyes.

“He would talk about you, I would ask about you, you know. I finally got to meet you and even fucked that up. Now, I really know why he wanted back in with his father.”

The door’s knob turned, silencing the woman as Shikamaru emerged from the room with his typical bored expression only this time his cheeks were beet red.

. . .

They sat side by side in the truck waiting for Kakuzu to come back from using the woman’s restroom.

Shikamaru stared to his mother’s home through the driver seat window while Neji stared to his lap in the dark.

“Shikamaru…”

The Nara groaned as he sank into his seat. Neji dropped the subject without having to be told.

The truck door opened allowing Kakuzu to climb back inside.

“Did you take something from the house?” Shikamaru asked from where he sat slumped in the truck seat.

Kakuzu sat silently before reaching for the door so he could put it back.

“Don’t worry about it, just keep it,” the Nara said as he put the truck in drive.

. . .

Choji’s mother screamed as she held on tightly to the Nara similarly to her husband. They seemed to yell excitedly in harmony as they suffocated their son’s friend as Choji stood right next to them all and watched.

Neji watched mildly impressed by the harmony in their voices.

“Where have you guys been?” Choji asked Neji as his parents hugged it out.

“Away,” Neji frowned, getting tired of the question already.

Choji looked back to the three that embraced one another. Only, two of which did so willingly, “Hm,” Choji hummed before frowning.

Finally, the three separated, “Where have you been?” The woman asked, “Are you hungry?”

“We’ve got leftovers from the restaurant. You two get as much as you’d like for the road,” the man offered.

“Thanks,” Shikamaru said as he followed the man into the kitchen.

Once the three were gone, Choji looked back to Neji, “what’s going on?” He begged in a whisper.

Neji shook his head before making his way to the front door.

“Neji,” Choji whispered.

The Hyuga inhaled and turned to face the Akimichi.

“Are you guys okay?”

“Yes, we are,” Neji assured as if the firmness of his voice would bring a halt to the question altogether. He was tired of seeing worry-torn faces everywhere he turned as opposed to the question itself. He then opened the door to hear blaring police sirens speeding past the house, shaking him from his previous concerns. Neji stepped out to watch the police cars rush down the road.

“What’s happening?” Choji asked as he stepped up next to the Hyuga.

Neji couldn’t help but feel as though it had Orochimaru’s name written all over it.

. . .

“Left,” Neji ordered before Shikamaru turned down said direction. They had been following the police cars as best as they could all while obeying the speed limit to lower suspicion. The police cars then veered off on another sharp left at a four-way intersection.

Neji knew the area, “Sasuke’s house?” He realized. “Drive straight and park.”

Shikamaru came to a rolling stop before putting the truck in park and hopping down, hitting his feet against the pavement. Neji followed and walked back towards the intersection to stare down the street. Two ambulances and three police cars were parked out front. Two stretchers were being carried into the house as someone was being guided out. Yelling from officers and paramedics added to the chaos that the various flashing lights created in the night.

“The hell?” Shikamaru mumbled.

They watched as police pulled someone from the house kicking and yelling in protest. His voice was easily projected through the street and was easily recognizable even in its unusualness.

“Shit,” the Nara whispered as the realization came to the both of them.

It was Sasuke that was being pulled from the house unwillingly. Something had torn him. He sounded to be distraught or even angered. He fought the policeman because he knew just as well as the two of them that no matter how well they posed with their badges, they were illegitimate whether they be on his side or not.


	67. Chapter 67

Neji and Shikamaru quickly unfastened their seat belts, dismounted from the tall vehicle and nearly ran through the police station’s doors. Immediately upon entry, Neji spun his head until he spotted a certain Uchiha sitting in the waiting area only he seemed apart from himself. Tears were evident. His cheeks were wet akin to the lashes of his red eyes. Neji watched as Sasuke’s head sank in between his hands. He began to sob all over again as the two approached him. Neji kneeled in front of him as the Nara came to a stop right next to the boy.

“Sasuke, what happened?” Neji asked.

“Neji,” Shikamaru whispered.

The Hyuga went quiet as he noticed that the area around them was unusually still. Neji stood and turned to find what seemed to be the entire staff standing in the room as if they had all suffered a loss.

“I can’t,” one man said weakly as he shook his head, “I can’t.” Another officer comforted the man as he, too, silently cried into his hand.

“I don’t know why the hell you’re crying. We’ve all had enough of this shit, have we not?” A third questioned. The rest only stood as numb as they were quiet. They were the Uchiha – Konoha’s police force. Some wore deep blue uniforms, others wore button up tops with ties. The room’s air was dark and heavy.

Neji and Shikamaru only watched them cluelessly. It had to have related to whatever occurred at Sasuke’s home that night.

“Who are you two?” The more brash one spoke.

“We are friends of his,” Neji answered without faltering but still unsure of how tonight’s events had shaped things for the long run.

The officer stepped towards them. He seemed to have some sort of scar that stretched over the entirety of one half of his face. He narrowed his eyes to the boys that were complete strangers to him, “Sasuke, can you confirm?”

Sasuke nodded silently before the officer even slightly lowered his guard.

“We’re on your side,” Shikamaru informed. It only seemed to raise the officer’s guard all over again and pose questions within the audience.

“Our side?” The officer, now the spokesperson, questioned.

“You guys work for the Akatsuki too, right? Well, so do we. Not willingly,” Shikamaru made sure to add.

“Yeah? Well, did you see who killed his parents?” The man asked.

“His parents?” Neji asked before looking back to Sasuke who continued to cry silently in his seat keeping a hold of his head that now seemed so heavy in his hands.

“His parents were killed. That’s what all the commotion was about,” the man explained, “We got a call to find them but no killer. I’m asking you two if you know anything we don’t.”

“Just about as much as you,” Shikamaru said.

“Damn it,” the officer cursed, “The Senju are really asking for war,” he said, grabbing a gun from a desk and placing it into its canister.

“Are you looking to arrest them?” Shikamaru asked.

The officer paused in the door, “I don’t give a damn. I’ll kill them if I even see so much as a guy with a gun.”

“Are you looking for war?” Shikamaru posed as he looked to the man.

The officer then slammed the door shut and walked towards the Nara, placing little room between Shikamaru and himself, “Look, I don’t know who you are, whose side you’re on, where you came from, or when you got here, but you don’t know shit.”

“I know enough to tell you that going after whoever did it is a bad idea that could get more of you guys killed,” the Nara shot back calmly.

The man then scoffed into a brief laugh, “We’ve been at war; they just got an early start.”

“How about that guy you arrested for shooting that Uchiha?” Shikamaru asked.

“Yeah, that one Sarutobi. She won’t be seeing daylight for a while if I get my way. They can shoot me through my better eye and I’d still keep her behind bars. What’s your point?”

“Maybe this war keeps going because you won’t give her up,” the Nara suggest.

“So, they’re being sore about it.”

“No, Hizashi allegedly killed a Sarutobi. Another Sarutobi shot an Uchiha in revenge because they see you as a working unit. The problem is that you arrested that Sarutobi, breaking your agreement,” Shikamaru narrowed his eyes now growing a bit shorter in patience.

“That was never my agreement!” He yelled, spraying the Nara through his teeth, “That was their agreement, I was just born into this shit! I don’t give a damn about affairs from the past, none of us do!” He yelled spreading his arms, “So what? We were gang bangers years ago, that isn’t the case anymore, we’re just being used. Yes, we tapped into the police system decades back, yes, we fired anyone who wasn’t one of us and took over completely, but after that, the rest of us were just born into it! I never wanted to be a damn cop! I just wanted to fucking teach!” His voice finally cracked out of his irritation.

“I wanted to open a bakery,” a faint voice came from the crowd.

Shikamaru looked to find a man slowly lowering his hand shyly. Nothing about him was of policeman material. The badge he wore seemed like more of a costume than uniform

“I wanted to study astrology,” a woman mumbled.

“I wanted to travel,” said an even younger worker who didn’t even seem to qualify for a position at the station.

Looking at every staff member at once, Shikamaru could tell that they were all people unfit for the profession which is why so much crime probably went on especially if it was committed by the Senju or its counterpart.

“See that?!” The policeman pointed towards them, “None of us even want to fucking be here! Now, we’re asked to be illegitimate posers while we get hacked down like some sort of fuckin’ pawns in some guy’s plot who I have yet to even see?!”

. . .

“I see,” Orochimaru frowned, facing the two boys who had delivered the news, “So, they no longer wish to serve me,” he placed his thumb to his chin, “perhaps that last order was a bit much.”

Both boys stared to him curiously, “Order?” Neji asked quietly.

“Yes, well, I ordered an Uchiha to kill the boy’s parents,” Orochimaru waved away as he turned to exit his office.

“Sasuke’s parents,” Neji thought aloud.

“Yes, it was his brother that killed them,” Orochimaru said as he pat the head of the snake that slithered around his neck, “they began to plot against me you see. They were most loyal to me years ago until they allowed the police force to jail that Sarutobi some months back. I asked why they had done that, and they told me that the woman posed a threat to my operation, so I let it be. I suppose I never would have thought that the Senju would cause such a ruckus for one of their subjects unless it’s not about the prisoner at all,” he began to think as he placed the snake back into its tank, “You see, it was Itachi that told me of his parents’ plans. I believe he tried to get them to stop them because he knew that turning against me would have the most undesirable outcome, so he came to me so he could deliver a threat to his parents to get them to put an end to their silly plot. However, I simply told him to kill them. At first, he stood his ground and refused, but by then, I had sent men towards the Uchiha household to find out why they had been meeting my demands as slowly as possible. I told him that if you refused, I would have Sasuke killed in cold blood. You know how I have guards on my every side when I have guests, so he was surrounded,” he turned to face them, “He would have been dead before he could even reach for his own gun. He simply walked out, but I never expected him to go through with it so quickly,” he finished with a smirk, “I had only been half serious.”

. . .

Shikamaru placed a bag of spicy chips onto the checkout surface and waited to be ringed up. Next to him another man stood, placing his own purchase before the cashier. He smiled to Shikamaru who tilted his head in turn. The man wore a tan, holey snap back hat, old light washed jeans and a worn flannel with dirty combat boots.

“Stuff here’s overpriced,” the man said.

Shikamaru nodded as he went through his own wallet. He never favored small talk.

“You drive a truck, right?”

The Nara looked to the man.

“I saw you climb out of it when I was trying to find parking. A bit young, aren’t you?”

“It’s in the genes. Whole family doesn’t look a day over sixteen,” Shikamaru lied.

“Wow, that’s a blessing. I wish I could say the same. Work’s got me thirty pushing fifty,” the man chuckled.

Shikamaru offered a weak, unauthentic smile before grabbing his bag and leaving. He walked through the pit stop mart’s doors. As soon as the door’s chime went off, the smile on his face died as quickly as he had forced it. Shikamaru approached his truck to find a rusty pick up that he assumed belonged to the friendly man indoors. He eyed it for a bit and looked to the license plate; he wasn’t from around there. It explained a lot from the apparent lake side look and the overly friendly attempt at carrying a dead conversation. The Nara then turned and unlocked the truck doors before climbing in. He spotted the same man heading towards his own vehicle. He had guessed right; it belonged to him. The man smiled and waved to Shikamaru with the same eyes that spooked the Nara by the cash register. The stranger’s eyes were like a perfectly horizontal almond shape that were beady and seemed to find every detail about anything just by analyzing it. Though discomforted, Shikamaru waved back without a smile and eased his foot onto the gas.

. . .

Neji was surprised that they had not been punished for getting rid of Hidan the way they did. When it happened, Kakuzu’s reaction had been nearly nonexistent. Of course, Orochimaru had to have known by then, but then again the lack of punishment could very much be the result of him simply being left out of the loop like he had been about the Senju’s façade of fighting for dominance and dominance alone. Nothing tied together, so Neji decided to not tire himself out by thinking of every factor to the story. It was best to perform his job the best he could for now. He pulled the key from the car wheel and shut the door before walking towards the same hotel room that Hidan had taken him to the week prior. He was sent to collect a couple more workers as opposed to getting right back to work as the supervisor. He was a bit queasy at the thought of performing the task again, but he hadn’t the face to refuse.

Neji fished for the room’s key through his pocket and placed it into the doorknob as he looked around. In the midst of the grey atmosphere, another car caught his attention, but it was no car; it was a rusty pickup.

“Morning,” a man greeted, surprising Neji.

The Hyuga’s shoulders jolted just slightly before he let out a steady breath, “Good morning,” he returned, taking his hand from the door.

“Not many guests here, huh?” He smiled.

“No,” Neji shook his head, placing his hands into his back pockets, “It is always empty.”

“I see. How long have you been here?”

“Just arriving,” Neji decided with a slow nod.

“Oh,” the man synched his head with the boy’s seemingly over exaggerated nods, getting Neji to stop.

“Well, I’m assuming you’re a tourist like me. I was gonna ask you for any recommendations for food or activities, but it seems like you’re newer than me,” he smiled.

“Yes,” Neji smiled, “I do not see myself staying for long.”

“Oh, well how come?” The man frowned. His eyes discomforted the Hyuga. Because of this, he would frequently lose the boy’s eye contact.

“I do not like the area.”

“Well, don’t be so sure. After all, you’ve only had one day to experience it,” his smile widened. Neji felt as though the man began to close in on him even though he hadn’t moved a step, “isn’t that right?”

“Hey!” Jiraiya called out from his office, “You two need anything?” He asked.

“Morning,” the stranger waved, “I was actually on my way out to get a cup of coffee,” he said as he walked towards the older man, giving Neji space that he was so deprived of ever since the man had greeted him. Neji found himself catching his breath, breath that he didn’t know his lungs were starved of. It could have been the anxiety of almost opening the door, revealing trafficked people or just the man alone. Now that he had finally left, Neji rushed to open the door and lock it behind him to be rid the risk of intrusion.

. . .

Neji pulled up to the manor and parked in the home’s driveway that continued for miles before the car. He exited the vehicle and rounded it to find Shikamaru sitting at the bottom of the mansion’s front steps. Guards walked past the boy and removed the unconscious victims from the sedan’s back seat. It was the first time the Nara had ever seen it apart from only hearing details from the Hyuga. Neji watched Shikamaru’s reaction and compared it to his own on his very first day of performing the task. Shikamaru stood, his eyes widened, and his lips sealed tightly. His head followed the men until they were no longer visible within the house. Neji approached Shikamaru and stopped right next to him while the Nara continued to eye the mansion’s front doors.

“Fuck,” he exhaled.

Neji looked to him earning a look from the Nara in turn. Shikamaru spotted how much calmer his white eyes were compared to the night in their room when the Hyuga had vented about it all. They weren’t exactly devoid of guilt, but there was an acceptance in his gaze that told the other that there was no other choice. The longer Shikamaru looked to him, however, the paler Neji appeared to be having completed the task. The Nara figured the assignment had sickened the male before averting his stare to the land beyond the manor. The Hyuga finally continued up the mountain of decorative stairs, leaving Shikamaru to stare at whatever remained in his place. He shut his eyes and shook his head of the limp bodies before tossing his finished apple core to the bushes and wiping his hand against his pants. They just had to cope.


	68. Chapter 68

“What do you think happened to Itachi?” Shikamaru asked as they sat at a bar that reminded them too much of that of Shizune’s.

Neji stirred his carbonated, sugary drink before determining that the beverage was unappealing. He pushed it to the Nara who took him up on the offer without hesitation. With all of the bodies that danced, the club was on the warmer side especially with the weather just beginning to cool down. Facilities all around began to use their heaters for the first time in months even if the heat wave was more than what was necessary. That combined with countless others packed into the building warmed Neji to the point of mild discomfort. Still, as he looked to the boy next to him that swiveled in his stool, Neji found that Shikamaru kept every layer on without exception.

“I do not understand how you do it.”

Shikamaru raised his brows as he sucked the soda through the plastic straw.

“The sleeves,” Neji watched him. Just looking at the jacket made the heat worse.

The Nara placed the glass to the counter. His expression seemed to have dropped. He simply shrugged before watching the dance floor, “Where do you think Haku is?”

Neji shook his head, “There is no telling. No matter where he goes, he would be in danger.”

“You think he’s back with the Senju?”

Neji hated to think that, but the last he had heard was that he was in the same house where the murder had commenced. He doubted that Haku had stayed up to that point anyways, “It is possible,” he admitted regrettably. A sad air passed over both of them that made Neji forget about the heat at all. The club lights brought back memories of the abused boy in the black, body suit wearing heels that seemed to nearly puncture his pale, bruised skin. His sheepish appearance had persisted as though everyone and everything around him posed a threat. After being tested profusely, however, he had become something else, another being entirely it seemed. His eyes were dark and would peer through a long, matted, shield of black strands, it was a gaze that warned of his killing intent before he would fire a gun. Even without a weapon, the look would remain. Neji did not doubt that the boy had so much bottled up hatred towards the world that he didn’t know how to let out without it being destructive. He had never been shown the good in the world before his parents seemed to have tossed him into a dark past that declined as the years went by.

Neji leaned his head against his arm and lied against the bar’s surface that was cooler than its air. He listened as the Nara slurped the last of his drink before the boy dismounted his high seat, “I’ll be back, I’m gonna head to the restroom,” he said before leaving a gloomy Hyuga alone at a night bar.

Neji nuzzled his face into the crook of his arm as the sounds of a wild night life raged on around him.

“Water,” said the bartender who slid an ice-cold water until it bumped into the Hyuga’s arm.

Neji furrowed his brows and lifted his head. He looked around to find the same man from earlier smiling to him from down the bar. The Hyuga raised a brow and did not drink from it straight away due to not having seen the drink being made himself. He’s come to trust in no one even if he had no reason to distrust them. Neji only offered half a smile before lying his head back down. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as the man stood from his seat. Neji decided to shield his vision. Hopefully, it would be enough to deter the stranger of which he knew had to be much older than himself, ten years at least.

“You okay? It’s real hot in here; I know,” it was the same voice from the motel that morning.

Neji buried his face deeper before lifting his head. He nodded in agreement as he rested his chin against his hand.

“May I?” The man asked as he gestured to the stool.

Neji said nothing, so he took it.

“It seems you found your way along nicely on your first night, but I guess that’s what the internet is for; you can look up any activity or eatery near you and be squared away for the night.”

Neji nodded as he watched the sweat of the cool water trickle down the glass and accumulate against the bar’s surface.

“I’m,” the man offered his hand, “Yamato. Nice to meet you,” he said with a smile, waiting for the Hyuga to accept the hand.

Neji looked to him and was slow to comply, but he brought his hand to meet the man’s and offered a faint shake before placing his arm back against the bar. He then returned to looking straight ahead as opposed to the man who stopped at nothing.

“Look, I’m not here out of any nasty intentions, okay? I wouldn’t have approached you if – one – I hadn’t met you earlier, and – two – you looked kinda down from afar. Now that I have a closer look, though, you seem more irritated than sad. I hope that’s not because of me.”

Neji rolled his eyes shut, “Who are you?” The Hyuga asked.

“Yamato. You still haven’t told me your name.”

Neji stared to him through grudging eyes. He said nothing before turning his head back to face front.

“Alright, alright,” he surrendered.

“Neji,” the Hyuga said.

“Neji? That’s a unique name.”

The comment earned him another slicing glare.

“But it’s a nice one. Unique is nice like your eyes, those are cool. I would’ve thought you were blind if you didn’t stare at me like you wanted to cut my throat open without missing a beat,” he laughed.

Neji watched as the man seemed to have spotted something in the distance behind him causing Neji to turn, but once he looked back to Yamato he was gone. He furrowed his brows before looking back to the water he had been sent.

“There was a line,” Shikamaru said as he rejoined the confused male, “Did I miss anything?”

“No,” Neji flagged the bartender down to discard of the glass.

. . .

I’m Yamato. The man seemed to hold a lot of weight in Neji’s thoughts as he lied in bed that night. Something about him was strange. There have been many times where the Hyuga dismissed it as being due to the man’s intimidating eyes, but it had to go beyond that. Neji made sure to avoid the man’s gaze, but it still seemed to follow him even long after they left the bar for the night.

Orochimaru had been looser on them lately, but the freedom was more concerning than being a breath of fresh air. Neji had been asked not to report to work once again and Shikamaru had no trips to make. It felt as though they were freeloaders given no demands to meet that day. It was the same story for tomorrow. Orochimaru had let them off the hook yet again. The two didn’t know what to think but weren’t bothered enough to complain. They simply waited for the man’s next commands.

“Neji?” Shikamaru said as he settled on his side of the mattress.

“Yes?” Neji asked as he turned to face the Nara who did not meet his eyes.

“Sorry about the thing at my mom’s,” he apologized, clenching his eyes shut of the embarrassing memory. His mother must have been wrong about the boy shrugging things off if it still bothered him days later.

Neji had nearly forgotten about it, “Why?”

“She just talks a lot. She doesn’t really think before she opens her mouth.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

“It is alright,” Neji assured.

“If you say so,” Shikamaru mumbled as he pulled the blanket over himself.

“It is,” the Hyuga swore.

“Mhm, ‘night,” Shikamaru said before turning onto his side, leaving Neji only a view of his back.

Neji watched blankly before reaching to turn his own lamp out. Together, they lied in darkness in a stuffy silence that filled both of their ears as if they were submerged in water almost. The quiet swelled as they waited for sleep to rid them of the day’s events.

“It’s old,” Shikamaru said.

Neji was unsure of what he had meant, “old?”

“The whole thing with you.”

“With me?”

“For you.”

“Shikamaru, I do not understand.”

“So, yeah, I had a thing for you at some point, but it’s old.”

“So, you no longer do?”

Shikamaru sighed which answered Neji’s question before his next words, “No,” it was quiet and unconfident; it was clearly a lie to ensure that the elder male did not feel put off, Neji was sure.

“When did it start?” Neji began to pry.

“I don’t know,” Shikamaru paused long enough for the Hyuga to believe they would leave it at that, “freshman year.”

It was around the same time that their arrangement began.

“Like I said, old.”

“How long did it last?” Neji asked.

“Last year.”

It was the most common answer given by school kids whose feelings have not quite come to an end yet. Still, Neji was unsure of how to react to the secret the boy had been holding for years.

“When we would…” Neji began, wishing Shikamaru would catch on.

“Yeah.”

“You had feelings… towards me?” Neji remembered the boy making sure nothing went wrong. Looking back, the Nara cared a bit too much for the Hyuga’s comfort and satisfaction just to be a quick fix after school every now and then. It sort of hurt Neji to find out that he had fallen for someone who swore to never settle down for anyone for as long as his head was in his studies. Now, however, it had been an uncertain amount of time since Neji had even thought of school

“Mhm,” the Nara confirmed.

Again, the silence began to swell and Neji hated himself more and more with each passing second. He should say something. There was nothing he could say without being uncertain of its effect on the boy who was within arm’s reach. Still, he had to say something, “I see.” Neji frowned. He was no poet.

“It’s fine, you know? I’m not gonna cry myself to sleep,” Shikamaru could feel the male behind him straining for a way to make the confession a bit less awkward.

Neji stared to the abyss that was the ceiling and bit the inside of his lip. He had never been too emotionally available which could have been a result of the model he had growing up, or it could have been a result of him telling himself to not get too emotionally involved in matters that would cloud his productivity. Their current situation did little to facilitate that sort of thing. The subject was far from Neji’s expertise, “I’m sorry.” Neji rolled his eyes shut now wishing to simply restart the conversation as a whole.

“For what?”

“Not knowing what to say,” Neji answered.

“I get it. I’ve been in the position before.”

“You have?”

“Yeah, there was this one girl, Temari, I already told you about her. She was the first kiss and all that. She confessed to me while we were going at it this one time and I kinda freaked out and didn’t know what to say. She kicked me out and we didn’t see each other for months.”

The story made the Hyuga feel a bit better, though the awkwardness of it all still teetered in his conscious. Now, Shikamaru knew how Temari felt all that time ago. Neji could hear it in his voice that the boy wished the truth had never left his mother’s lips.

“Feels funny talking about this in a drug overlord’s mansion.”

Neji agreed, “Yes.”

He heard a chuckle come from the boy that was more characteristic of him versus the more vulnerable side that had been beaten seconds before.

“Shikamaru.”

“Hm?”

Neji lifted his head and searched for the words that he failed to find before, “You are a great person,” Neji said. It was all he could really get himself to return.

“Really?” Shikamaru asked as if he doubted it.

“Yes.”

“I’ll take it.” Of course, the boy wouldn’t offer a simple thanks in return. It was who he was, “you too.”

Neji wondered if he was just returning the same compliment to fill the silence. The Hyuga watched his figure in the night before he eased his way towards it. Shikamaru felt the other nearing him and allowed it to happen. The Nara kept his eyes shut as Neji came to a stop behind him. He felt the male place both hands against his back as he curled to match the Nara’s position. Shikamaru’s eyes eased open at the contact. Neji’s hands ran from his shoulder to the center of his lower back. The Hyuga then lied his head against Shikamaru’s pillow. The younger still remained laying on his side with a single hand rested underneath his head which fingers felt Neji’s warm breaths that came and went. Neji gently placed his lips against Shikamaru’s fingertips as his hands slowed their movement before one expanded its exploration around the Nara’s abdomen. It rested against Shikamaru’s stomach and felt as it expanded and fell with each breath. Shikamaru lowered his hand to brush against Neji’s own who gripped it in turn. Neji held the boy’s hand against his stomach and planted his final kiss to the boy’s fingertips before curling against him for the night. He laced their fingers together not only confusing the boy against him but himself as well. Perhaps he was more like Hiashi than he knew. Perhaps his actions spoke better than his words.


	69. Chapter 69

“Good morning you two. Please pack everything you have with you and be ready to leave within an hour,” Orochimaru called from the other side of the large doors.

. . .

Again, all three of them found themselves packed into the truck as they rode away from the mansion without being informed as to why they were making the sudden move. Shikamaru followed a number of black cars off the property. Suddenly, a loud explosion blasted from behind them. They were not in range of destruction, but the blast sent vibrations through their seats.

“The hell was that?” Shikamaru asked, being forced to keep his eyes on the road.

“Orochimaru set his home to self-destruct,” Kakuzu answered from behind.

“Self-destruct?” Neji questioned. Both he and the driver were still in shock.

“Orochimaru has been preparing a move since the night of the escapee,” he meant Asuma and his rescuer, “He knew that their location had to have fallen in someone else’s hands, so it was necessary that we moved.”

“And he just had explosives sitting in the walls for a time like this?” Shikamaru asked, half expecting a no.

“Yes.” Of course, he would have.

“Where are we going now?” Neji asked.

. . .

The ride up the mountains was rocky and seemed prone to turning right upside down as the jeep bounced over the rocks. Orochimaru had another estate ready just in case all else failed. Neither boy should have been surprised, but no matter how many times they swear that they’ve gotten used to it all, another surprise rolls to their feet.

. . .

“Welcome to the Land of Mountains,” Orochimaru said, turning away from the panorama of mountainous terrain that stretched out past the large glass window, “I always favored the other place as opposed to this one. It’s a bit too modern for my tastes. I’ll miss it. Well, once we get everyone adjusted to the new set up, everything will be the same as it was back home,” the man informed before looking through the window once more. Like the one before, the new mansion sat in a remote place, but the one currently was more mountainous and distant from civilization. There were more trees that even covered a number of the home’s windows. There were countless pine plants and even taller oaks that shaded the land that the house sat on, but it gave a view of the sunnier patch of mountains in the distance. “Enjoy yourselves for the next couple of days. You have countless mountains to climb everywhere you look,” he smiled before leaving the two in the living room filled with furniture and surfaces that all resembled a square in some shape or form.

It was cooler than the last location which was the first thing they noticed. With the cooler seasons coming in, they would freeze if they were to step outdoors too late and for too long.

“Since this building is a bit smaller, I’m sure you two won’t have an issue finding your rooms,” Kabuto spoke for the first time since they had seen him as he lowered their bags to the ground. Without anything further, he immediately made his way to the kitchen.

. . .

They sat over a table that was constructed by some exotic tree stump topped with a sheet of thick glass that resembled the inside of a geode.

Orochimaru sipped his wine before setting the glass down, “I regret to be the bearer of bad news, but we still haven’t heard anything from either of your fathers. I suspect that Hidan might have been holding back before he perished.”

So, the man did know about Hidan’s death, but it was unclear how much he had been told. He was calm but frowned enough to put on a show in regards to the long-lost men. The news, however, got the Nara to pause and think back. There was a possibility that Hidan had known more than anyone else considering his killing craze. Shikamaru scraped the legs of his chair back before standing. Neji could see in his eyes that the Nara didn’t know what to do with himself, but before the boy could leave, a loud cough erupted from Orochimaru. It sounded like it had taken all of his back and chest to cough up whatever had been giving him trouble, but nothing came up. He continued to cough. Neji stared before looking to the Nara who only watched through concerned eyes. Neither of them knew what to do. Neji instinctively stood to help, but whatever was happening may work in their favor. Then the question of what would happen if the man ended up alright arose. Neji took a single hesitant step towards the man but stopped as the man began to foam at the mouth. The coughing did not cease, but by then, Neji knew that whatever was happening was beyond what he could ever help. The Hyuga stepped back right as the man’s head fell against the table, rattling the silverware and glass that sat on top. His head fell right into his dish, sending him off before wiping him of any dignity he had left after the display. The foam dripped from the tabletop, but it now blended with red to make a frightening shade of pink fuzz that spilled from his mouth that lie ajar.

Neji stared with his mouth wide before he shut it, clacking his teeth together. Shikamaru stared through wide, stressful eyes which took on the responsibility of portraying anything that the scene had made him feel.

Kabuto walked in calmly and stared to Orochimaru before looking to the boys while adjusting his glasses, “I will clean this. You two go to sleep.”

. . .

“Did he just…”

“He betrayed Orochimaru,” Neji finally said.

“Did you see what the guards did? They did nothing!” Shikamaru exclaimed through a harsh whisper.

“What could they have done?” Neji asked.

“I’m saying even when it looked like he was just choking, the guards did nothing. They didn’t even step up. They just watch him hemorrhage and dismissed it even when it was clear as day that Kabuto poisoned whatever the fuck he gave Orochimaru.”

The two then shared a weary stare.

“Do you think he…”

Neji shook his head unsure.

“We would be dead by now though, right?”

Neji shook his head unsure as worry began to sink in.

“He didn’t start eating until after us, right? Wait, he had a drink, we had water,” the Nara pointed out. That could have been what Kabuto had used to get rid of the man, “what now?”

“We wait to see if he has any use for us,” Neji answered.

Shikamaru’s eyes wandered trying to find ways out of it all, but they truly had no where to go; they were off the grid no doubt. They couldn’t run. The mountains would kill them, “you were right.”

Neji looked to the boy questioningly.

“We should’ve ran back then.”

. . .

“You,” Kabuto called after spotting the two who had been trying to avoid his line of sight all morning. It had taken them hours to leave the room before hunger began to work against their better judgement. The two froze before facing the white-haired man, “since you took the time to take out a number of our hitmen, you will take their place. No more of this pretend supervisor; we hardly needed one in the first place. Orochimaru was too kind,” he said, handing two guns to the boys. “I already have a number of people that haven’t paid for their product. They’ve fallen into debt and don’t show signs of paying up. You either kill them or we’ll have to go out of our way to kill someone you give a damn about, you choose.” It was a threat to get the two to do his dirty work, and it worked.

The two held the guns. Given the new position, it felt as if they had never held one let alone shot a man before which both of them had. Shikamaru began to ask questions when the boy next to him fell nauseous.

. . .

Once they reached Fire Country, they rode a train further inland. It was the same train of which tracks they walked alongside weeks and weeks ago discussing simpler things.

Shikamaru looked to Neji whose head rested against the glass. He was drained of color due to not being able to keep anything down too well, “you want water?”

Neji furrowed his brows with a frown as he shook his head, tightening the fold of his arms. He kept his eyes shut and found solace in the coolness of the window’s glass.

“We have a while until we get there. Try to relax until then.”

Neji only groaned an incoherent rebuttal.

Shikamaru knew it was a stretch. No matter how far they were, they would have to end someone’s life eventually.

. . .

They walked past a sign that welcomed them to Konohagakure. It should have been comforting but it only reminded them that they were nearer to completing the deed. Shikamaru removed the list from his pocket and looked at it for the fiftieth time on the trip. The paper was crumbled but still legible. It held the full government names, phone numbers, and addresses of the people whose blood would taint their hands.

“It says that there are other people we’ve gotta hit outside of Konoha, so maybe we could start there?”

“We were given a week to get to five people,” Neji’s voice was quiet, “We do not have time to travel to Suna or anywhere beyond Konohagakure, Nara. We have to start here.”

Shikamaru had been the only one to look over the list since it was given to them in the living room of the house that sat in the mountains. His eyes stuck to the name Kiba Inuzuka written in sloppy, black ink. He would have told Neji if the Hyuga hadn’t been hanging on by a thread. Neji began to dip. Shikamaru reached out and caught him before his knees could come in contact with the cool soil beneath their feet.

A car slowly rolled up to them. The driver lowered the window, “Need a ride?”

. . .

The driver was friendly. He was talkative and seemed to be middle aged. He had no idea of what he had allowed to hitch a ride in his back seat. Still, he continued to speak of his family and his hobbies as their travels accelerated greatly by the new form of transportation. Shikamaru looked to Neji who lied his head in the bundle of the Nara’s jacket.

“Are you alright, sugar?” The man asked as he looked to the Hyuga whose face he had barely seen all throughout the trip.

“He gets car sick easily,” Shikamaru answered. He resented each bump and rock of the vehicle as the van moved because he could only imagine the torment that the elder teen was being put through.

“Ah, I see. One time my little girl got sick to the point where we had to pull over and let her toss up that peanut butter and jelly sandwich she had for lunch. It was a gross sight, but if you need to be let out, just let me know. I just know my little Yua had to spill it all. It’s better in nature than on the car carpet,” he laughed. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I don’t know if I got your names? Mine is Atsushi.”

Shikamaru froze before swallowing thickly, “Shikamaru.”

“Nice to meet you, Shikamaru, and she is?”

“Neji,” the Nara answered.

“Nice to meet you Neji!”

“What’s your last name?” Shikamaru asked.

“Well that’s an odd question,” the man said before laughing it off.

“You look like someone I know, what’s your last name,” Shikamaru felt as if his face began to tighten with stress.

“Well it’s Ito, what about you?”

“He’s gonna throw up, pull over,” the Nara ordered. His tone remained mono with each word that followed after hearing the man’s name.

Neji lifted his head from the bundle to look to the Nara in nauseated confusion. The Hyuga was still pale and strands of hair covered his sickly face as the car rolled to a stop.

“Thanks,” Shikamaru said, “for everything.” He then climbed out of the car and shut the door.

“Why, it’s no problem really. If you bring kindness into the world, the world will be sure to return it to you.”

Neji listened to the man’s sweet words. They were genuine and worth much more than anyone their age would typically care to admit, but they were proven to be false as soon as Shikamaru knocked on his window. The man turned and rolled it down with a smile before he was faced with the barrel of a gun. His name was at the top of the list.


	70. Chapter 70

Neji took the passenger seat after aiding the Nara in hoisting the man’s body into the back seat for the sake of time and eliminating the risk of being seen. Neji tried to settle his breathing as they drove with the windows down to facilitate circulation. Shikamaru’s jacket lied on the car floor right before Neji’s feet. It was bunched up after being used to dry any blood that was produced by the fatal shot to the head.

“Why did you do that?” The Hyuga asked. His mind had not fully returned. Deep down he knew why.

Shikamaru gripped the wheel tighter. The better question was how he managed to make himself do it so quickly. He made it seem like no chore at all. He had brought the man’s end forth almost as soon as he heard his name. It was shocking even though the Hyuga should have at least felt it.

“You could have warned me.”

“And told the guy that I’m about to shoot him?” Shikamaru shot back. He was on edge about what he had done in cold blood.

Neji folded his arms and averted his eyes to the trees that slowly started to become scarcer as they moved further into town. He failed to truly process his surroundings due to the immediate feeling of sickness that seemed to block anything he even tried to understand.

“Most of the list is in Konoha. There aren’t many past it,” the Nara informed. There was no answer from the male beside him, “I can do it if you want. All of it,” his voice was quiet, weakened by the shock. Still, it was truthful.

Neji’s weary eyes widened at his words. He imagined Shikamaru stacking kill upon kill by himself when it was something that they were both tasked. It was a horrid image, but he could not bring himself to even imagine himself in the same place. Still, he said nothing unsure of what he wanted.

Shikamaru could imagine how conflicted the Hyuga might have been over the matter, “toss the jacket back there and cover him the best you can. There’s more people around.”

. . .

He entered a bar. It was not as extravagant as the ones they’ve visited prior. It was emptier with blues playing from a juke box at the far end of the lounge. The area seemed to be entirely constructed of wood and most of the building’s light came from its center where the round bar stood. There, Shikamaru spotted a man with unruly grey hair patched with brown. His beard was uneven similarly to his attire. He came off to be homeless on sight and seemed to stare distantly with a cup in hand. His gloves were filled with holes and rips, and his shirt stained. His lips moved as though he were talking to himself or lip syncing to a song in his head. He seemed to be far from reality wherever his mind had wandered to.

Shikamaru approached him, his head hooded and hands pocketed, “Hey,” he wasted no time in greeting him. What he was trying to do would have to result in the man’s death either way, so there was no use in dragging it out. He just wanted to finish the job for as long as he could close off his mental voice of sympathy. He gave the man another look before taking the stack of small photos from his pocket. He chose one specifically and flipped the image to find his name. It was him without a doubt unfortunately. The Nara convinced himself that he might have been putting the sorry man out of a life of misery and hopelessness just to ease the guilt. The man already looked as far gone as he’ll ever be.

The man does not respond to his immediate greeting.

Shikamaru looked around through the relatively empty lounge before leaning against the bar and looking to the man’s face, “You had enough to drink?” He tried again.

The man only continued to mouth words in silence before tilting his head side to side as if the song could be heard by those around him. He smiled oddly enough to nothing at all. He then chuckled deeply.

“Alright, I think you’ve had enough. You work here?”

The man then stood and slowly twirled. His movements were stiff as he was worn but the smile was unmistakable. He might have been under the influence of Orochimaru’s drug right in that moment. His movements weren’t sluggish as if he were intoxicated, rather, he seemed to be almost euphoric. Shikamaru watched him pitifully before wrapping an arm around his shoulder, “Let’s get you outta here, alright?”

The man then unwrapped the Nara’s arm from his shoulders and grabbed his hand while his other arm wrapped around the back of the boy’s waist as he guided Shikamaru in a sort of waltz. The Nara went along with it figuring that it would be his last dance anyways. The Nara looked to the back door and tried his best to guide their steps towards it. The closer they got, the quicker his pulse battered against his ears.

He managed to spin along with the man until they stepped into the backway of the bar. Their surroundings were made up of dumpster containers, stray cats and discarded trash that never made it to the trash bin. It was dark but the back automatic lights made it bright enough to look for cameras. Shikamaru kept his hood on, thankful that he had brought a second jacket, to conceal as much of himself as possible before he shoved the man off. The stranger looked to his hands then around slowly as if he were lost. He seemed to have no clue as to what he had just been doing until he turned around to spot Shikamaru pointing a gun to his face. Even with the firearm aimed directly at him, the man smiled a stained, holey smile. He was incapable of seeing the world as it truly was.

. . .

Neji kept to himself as they drove in the night. He didn’t mutter a word nor did the Nara. He simply allowed Shikamaru to follow through with Kabuto’s orders without lifting a finger to share the burden.

The unmistakable slowing of the car told the Hyuga that the next target had been spotted. Neji shut his eyes as the Nara put the car in park. Strangely, he did not feel Shikamaru leave this time. Neji’s gaze centered on his own feet underneath the dash as a long and tired breath escaped Shikamaru. Neji looked to him to find the boy with his hands pressed firmly against his face. Shikamaru let out quivers of breaths. He was crying. He had done and seen too much all in one day. Neji felt the banging of the car as the Nara stomped his foot to its floor three strong times in protest.   
  


“Fuck,” he exhaled, “fuck, fuck, fuck,” he made quick work to rub his eyes dry before reaching for the car door.

Again, Neji felt the car door move the vehicle as it shut, leaving the Hyuga to wait for the Nara to return only for them to move to the next victim. This time, the car sat on the roadside in front of a park. Neji had a perfect view of the boy and his next target this time. The Hyuga was displeased by this but couldn’t look away. His eyes stuck as if in a trance. Shikamaru removed the small pistol from his sweatshirt pocket. It was covered by a muffler which quieted each shot the firearm delivered. The person was a woman who seemed to be delusional if not delirious. She sat on the swing and swung as if she were a child. Shikamaru wasted no time in piercing her with a quiet bullet that sent her backwards until she flipped from the swing and landed harshly on her face.

Neji watched the woman whose back was bent almost in half after being killed so suddenly. He only stared in shock as Shikamaru looked side to side, keeping his hood over his head as he ran back to the car.   
  
Shikamaru sat and ripped the hood from his head, frizzing his hair before lying his head against the steering wheel. He was silent until he landed a rough hit to the dash with his fist. He then leaned back against the seat and shut his eyes. 

Neji sat numbly unsure if he had truly seen it, unsure of what they were doing was real, “Shikamaru.”

No answer.

“How many more?”

Kiba Inuzuka. Shikamaru’s lip twitched, eager to twist to convey his pain and confliction, “One,” the Nara answered.

“Do you want me to do it?” Neji asked unexpectedly. The uncertainty of his voice was a flag of possible complications.

“The last one is Kiba,” Shikamaru finally said. Saying so was an indirect way of telling Neji that Shikamaru should be the one to do it. He covered his face with a hand before allowing it to fall against his lap.

The Hyuga widened his eyes as the Nara fished for the list from his pocket. He handed Neji the paper and waited for the elder male to see for himself.

Sure enough, there his name was printed on the wrinkled paper. Kiba Inuzuka. Shikamaru listened as a sharp breath escapde Neji due to words being impossible.

“No,” Neji whispered.

“We have to.”

“No,” the Hyuga said a bit louder.

“Then, what do we do?” Shikamaru had been leaving the boy for last due to having a hard time admitting to himself that he was in fact a target. “Then, what do we do?” He repeated, now looking to Neji.

Neji only stared to him at a loss of solutions.

“Do you have money to pay for his life?” The younger asked. The only reason the Inuzuka was now in harm’s way was because he had failed to pay his dues to his dealer. Now, he was on death row.

The Hyuga’s eyes told of his lack of an answer. He continued to draw blank after blank until Shikamaru rubbed his face and put the car in drive. Too soon, they were back on track to the Inuzuka’s house.

. . .

Upon arrival, they could see that there were no cars in the driveway; the boy’s mother wasn’t home. Once parked, Neji opened the car door.

“Neji.”

“Give me the gun,” the Hyuga ordered.

Shikamaru unfastened his seatbelt and exited the car next.

“What are you doing?” Neji asked as he watched the Nara round the hood of the car to meet him.

“Coming with you.”

The Hyuga watched his darkened eyes looking for the slight sign of hesitance but found none, so he lowered his head and continued to the door.

Neji stared to the front door unsure of how to commence this. He nearly rang the doorbell before Shikamaru grabbed his wrist and pointed to the door. It was slightly ajar. The Nara lightly pressed against it and followed after Neji to find the living room lights beaming. It was quiet, but once they reached the area, they came face to face with more than just Kiba who lied limply against the couch. In the living room stood just about everyone they knew except Sasuke.

“Neji?” Hinata asked. Of all people, it shocked the male to see the girl there more than anyone else.

At the mention of his name, everyone else – Sakura, Ino, Karui, Darui, Choji, and Naruto – turned to face the two who stood stiffly at the room’s entrance. Both of them watched over the rest with eyes weighed by not only fatigue, but by the many things they had seen from that day and each one prior.

“Neji?” Sakura asked as she slowly made her way to said Hyuga, “are you okay?”

Neji looked to Kiba who seemed to have almost deteriorated since he last saw him. Kiba was a bit paler and slimmer than before. His hair was unkempt and his muscle mass had decreased. The Inuzuka held himself tightly and shut his eyes even tighter after hearing Neji’s name.

“I’m surprised you actually answered this text,” Ino commented. Though it was not out of her usual rude tone, Neji could tell that she intended for him to feel its slight bite.

“What?” He asked.

“I messaged the chat asking everyone to check on Kiba and you actually came. You’re late and brought a stranger with you, but at least you’re here. I just figured that if you can cruise around Konoha, then you’re capable of being there when we need you, but you’ve ignored calls and texts and seem to only go wherever is most convenient for you, so, really, I don’t even know why you’re really here.”

Had she forgotten his last encounter with Kiba? Then again, back then she acted as though Neji were out of place, so he knew that she would back Kiba as opposed to himself in a situation like this.

“Yeah, well, Kiba kinda beat the shit out of Neji the last time they were together and you guys kept talking to the guy as if he didn’t try to bite the flesh off Neji’s arm, so I don’t blame him,” Shikamaru responded without nearly as much venom that filled the girl’s gaze.

“Why are you even here if all you’re going to do is reprimand us for shit that’s long over?” Ino stood and faced the two, “Why are you here?”

Neither of the two answered. Neji only watched Kiba who now rocked back and forth on the couch.

“I’m sorry,” Kiba said through hands that covered his face, “I’m sorry,” he repeated again and again until he was muttering the same two words into a whisper as he rocked.

Neji’s stare on the boy turned into one of discomfort.

“I’m sorry,” Kiba’s shoulders trembled as he quietly cried into his hands. His behavior had to be drug induced, “Neji, I’m sorry,” he cried, “I’m sorry.” His apologies became redundant until the saying meant nothing. Neji stared to him and began to feel his own features contort, betraying the calm that he had promised to maintain upon entering the house. A painful silence then passed over them as sounds of whistled whimpers left Kiba. It was answered by his dog, white and large. The dog, Akamaru, trotted towards his owner and licked his hands before being shoved away harshly.

“Kiba!” Sakura yelled as others around them gasped at his sudden violent nature. Naruto lunged forward to secure Akamaru by his collar to distance the dog from his owner. It reduced Kiba into a heap of tearful apologies all over again.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” He shouted as if it was not his fault. In a way, the behavior was not his fault, but he had allowed it to come to this point.

Neji felt a pain in his chest that ached for the Inuzuka. There was no doubt in the Hyuga’s mind that the boy had lost everything over this and not even his mother was here to comfort him. He might have chased her off for the night as well as his academics and football career. Kiba’s cries grew and Neji’s hope of maintaining a neutral facade began to tremble before he simply turned to leave. Shikamaru watched the Hyuga before deciding to trail him out.

Neji shut the car door and sat waiting for the Nara to follow but long seconds passed where there was only silence. He looked up to find Shikamaru standing before the car staring down the street. Whatever he was giving his undivided attention to, it had to be something significant if not alarming. Nothing on the Nara’s face told of fear, rather, he seemed more irked than anything as he walked from the car towards the direction of which he had been glaring.

Neji turned to watch the boy before leaving the car himself to walk after Shikamaru who pursued a familiar vehicle that sat some houses down just behind a pole light. It was an old, rusted pickup truck.


	71. Chapter 71

“Alright,” Shikamaru called out as he crossed the street, “Come out!”

Neji picked up his pace to catch up with Shikamaru who reached into his hoodie pocket. Before he could remove the firearm from its cover, the door to the pickup truck flew open. Out stood Yamato but as opposed to his typical, overbearingly friendly nature, he aimed a gun to the Nara who froze on sight. Neji stopped in his tracks as well unsure of how to take it. He must have been working with the Senju.

“Keep your hands up. Do not move,” the man ordered as he slowly advanced. Shikamaru and Neji did as told.

“Neji?!” Hinata called from the house’s front doorstep. Her elder brother turned to eye everyone that watched them being patted down in the middle of the road. Worst of all, they watched as Yamato pulled another firearm from the Nara’s jacket pocket which only made their case worse. Neji shut his eyes and lowered his head shamefully. He could only imagine what was going through their heads. It wouldn’t be long before the others pieced the story together themselves; the two had been on their way to kill Kiba and leave him there without a word.

“Get in the pickup. Don’t try anything. You’re safest with me,” Yamato assured though the two doubted it more and more each time they heard it.

. . .

“Now that we’re here away from anyone else, I’m going to be honest with you. I’m here to help you. I work for the ANBU. Think of it as a higher, more secretive force than your corrupted police station. I was sent here by your fathers. Shikaku came to us months ago and sent us out after Hizashi who we recovered only some weeks ago. Ever since then, your fathers have been under our strict watch in a secluded area until the ANBU are able to break apart whatever organization that seems to control Fire Country. My only regret is getting the call so late. According to Shikaku, their operation has been going on for years,” Yamato explained.

Both were speechless. Neither of them knew what to think about the man who handled the vehicle. It was a shock more than anything else that someone of the ANBU would locate them before the Senju. They were in Senju territory after all.

“Where are you taking us?” Neji asked.

“Somewhere safe; away from all this,” the man answered, “don’t worry. You aren’t in trouble. Your fathers told me that you two were most likely being forced to do things against your will. Anything you did will not be held against you unless it was not in fact a life or death situation, but we will sort out technicalities later. For now, rest assured. You are safe now.”

. . .

Before they knew it, they were at the gates of an airport empty handed. Yamato followed them and caught the eyes of people that the boys assumed were working with him. Each of them followed after the three in the guise of travelers. Neither boy was sure about their new position, but there was nothing they could do at that point. Both of them were unarmed and surrounded, so they only followed after Yamato right before they reached the door that led to the bridge between the airport and the plane that sat right outside of the building’s windows.

“Get on. Someone will meet you at your destination,” Yamato ordered as the other men around them began to board the aircraft. The two looked to the man who gave no further instruction before leaving them to hope that it was not some sort of trap that would be harder to climb out of once they boarded the plane.

Once they entered the humming plane, they were faced with numerous passengers that they knew were a part of whatever Yamato was scheming. There was no escaping it. The door shut behind them and a flight attendant told them to find their seats. They did as they were told without opposition though they were slow to move through the plane. Finally, they found two open seats. Shikamaru stepped to the side allowing Neji the window seat as he surveyed their surroundings. They were completely cornered by people who were strangers that seemed to know just who they were. None of them did anything to give it away, but the Nara could feel it. Finally, Shikamaru sat down, removing his hood as he looked to Neji who looked to be running thin from all of the worry and sudden, uncertain changes and relocations. Shikamaru thought back to the moment in the street. They seemed to have been arrested if not kidnapped and each one of Neji’s friends and sister had seen it. They left the bunch to think that Shikamaru might have led Neji astray. Now, the Hyuga stuck with him on some sort of crime run that might have ridded the elder male of any sort of peaceful future where his hands would have been clean. Or so it seemed that way to those who watched them in the street that night. Still, Shikamaru did not care for any of their opinions; they were not his so-called friends. He was more so concerned about Neji and his take on everything. He was concerned about whatever had distanced the Hyuga’s focus from the moment right there on the plane.

Neji’s expression was more so of exhaustion that teetered between hatred and stress. They were on a plane with no money, luggage, or idea of where they were going. Shikamaru was sure it was enough to be the reason behind Neji’s silence, so he remained quiet as well as he leaned his head back against his seat. He stuffed his hands into the pocket of his sweatshirt and sealed his eyes for now. All he could do was wait to see if they would land or if the plane would go up in flames.

. . .

The lights shattered the Nara’s peace of mind as he was brought back to the present, away from simpler dreams that freed him from the moment. He took a deep breath upon waking, feeling a weight against his shoulder. Neji had yet to wake from where he lied his head against the boy’s shoulder. Shikamaru looked to the Hyuga before observing everything around them. The sun had just begun to rise, and the plane sat parked at yet another airport. The ceiling’s speakers rang before an automated recording began, thanking passengers from choosing the airline and hoping they would consider flying with them again, but those around them did not listen. The men around them only stood and grabbed their luggage and inched their way from the plane.

Shikamaru lightly shrugged his shoulder.

“Hm?” Neji groaned before sitting up. He looked around before standing, waiting for the Nara to do the same.

Shikamaru stood and followed behind the others towards the exit until they crossed the bridge that allowed them into an airport that seemed to be even newer than Konoha’s. It was larger and packed with foreign faces and different foods.

“Where are we?” Neji asked while his eyes tried to adjust. Shikamaru looked to the elder male to find an imprint in his cheek. It was like a pink streak through his entire right cheek made completely by the fold of the shoulder of the Nara’s jacket. The younger didn’t mention it. Instead, he looked around for the man that was supposed to meet them there. He caught the eye of an older man who seemed to have a permanent frown made more intimidating by a patch that rested over his eye and an x-shaped scar etched into his chin. He advanced towards two boys.

“Shikamaru, Neji,” the man checked.

Neji stared to him just as the Nara did. Their silence was enough for the man, so he continued.

“Follow me.”

. . .

The more signs they passed, the more Neji noticed that they were in Earth Country. He could tell from the architecture of the passing buildings. The man was not as approachable as Yamato, but he was quieter. Neither of them asked any further questions and simply allowed the man to transport them without a word. It did not mean that their suspicions had dropped, however. Both were still on edge even more so by the fact that they had nothing and no one to reach for if something were to go left. Their lives were entirely in someone else’s hands in an entirely different country.

“I’m taking you to your fathers. Do not leave unless we tell you to. It is for your own safety.”

The boys heard every word but remained silent. Neji looked to Shikamaru who was already watching him. They only shared a glance before their doubts and guesses began to preoccupy them again, diverging their trains of thought.

. . .

Neji followed the man to a room in a hotel that was much nicer than anything he had ever stayed in. He unlocked the room door for Neji and gave him the key before continuing down the hall with Shikamaru who Neji watched until he brought himself to close himself off from the boy and the stranger. He stepped into his new room. It was clean. The floors were imitation wood. There was a kitchen that neighbored a living room. A television hung on the wall that sided the bedroom which was attached to a bathroom. It was like an apartment all within itself. He walked towards the coffee table and looked down to the menu of TV stations before looking through the large window that faced the rest of the city. He watched cars pass beneath him. He then spotted one car in particular that brought him back through too many weeks that turned into months. It was a black SUV which triggered the Hyuga to pull the curtain shut without hesitation. He did the same in the bedroom and vowed not to open them again. He stared to the bit of light that crept through the curtains’ fabrics as he slowly sat on top of the cool bed. He stared blankly to the shielded window and struggled to convince himself that he was safe at long last. He didn’t know what to think. As much as he tried to make sense of everything, factors began to overlap and escape him until a knock at the door pulled him from the depths of his own mind. Neji stood and took his time nearing the door. He looked through the door hole to find none other than Hizashi Hyuga, someone he had grown to resent more and more with each passing day. Still, for some reason unknown to him, Neji opened the door to face the man.

Hizashi looked as if he had aged backwards. He was more well rested than the last time Neji had seen him. He was more well rested than Neji himself which only added to the boy’s building irritation. However, the boy’s face did not show his aggravation. Neji’s face was more so of disbelief than anything else. The roundness of his eyes could have been interpreted as blank and shocked all the same.

Hizashi smiled, “Neji,” he said before wrapping the boy in his arms, “Oh, they found you,” he held on tightly. Neji did not return the squeeze, “thank the gods,” he said before unhanding the boy whose face remained unchanging, “gods, where did you go? All I heard was that they couldn’t find you, and finally I – I wouldn’t know what I’d do if I hurt you too.” He had hurt Neji already. “I was thinking we could use the hotel’s diner tonight just to,” he shook his head unsure of what either of them would even discuss. Just like everything else, the look Neji was giving him seemed to be going right over Hizashi’s head, “well, I’m sure you’re tired from your flight. If you want to just sleep, then I understand.”

Neji began to frown. He did not truly process any of the man’s offers. All he could pay any mind to was that Hizashi was the root of all of his problems. The man turned to spot Shikamaru who paused halfway down the hall on his way to the Hyuga’s room.

“Oh,” Hizashi said, his eyes lighting up before looking from his son to the boy then back and forth. He then clapped loudly a single time and stuck his arms out to Neji as if it was something to behold, “he’s here too! Maybe we can all have dinner tonight!” Before receiving an answer, Hizashi was faced with a door that slammed violently and nearly caught his finger in the door frame. He jerked away with a look of surprise.

Neji turned to face the rest of the hotel room as he fumed. His pulse skyrocketed as his nails threatened to break the skin of his fists. He lowered his head and shut his eyes from the very idea of the man. He wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Hizashi’s mistakes. If it weren’t for him failing to meet his father’s expectations all those years ago, Neji could be well on his way towards wrapping up the first semester of his senior year, looking for universities as opposed to hiding for his life in another country where nothing made sense.

Another knock came from the door. Neji spun and swung the door open, gripping the male by the collar of his shirt only to find that it was Shikamaru Nara.

“I can come back later,” the Nara said in response to the harsh gesture.

Neji’s eyes softened drastically as he dropped the boy’s collar. He looked up and down the hall to find that Hizashi was nowhere in sight. Neji gripped Shikamaru’s arm and drug him inside before shutting the door behind him.

“You okay?”

“No,” Neji locked the door and started towards the living room only to pause in his step, “I do not wish to see him ever again.”

Shikamaru shut his mouth. He nodded in understanding as he studied each crack in the dark wooden flooring, “make that clear to him next time he shows up,” he suggested as he stepped towards the Hyuga.

Neji looked to the floor before turning to face the boy. He then offered a nod of his own as he looked over Shikamaru’s shoulder, “Have you seen your father?”

“Knocked on his door, no answer. My guess is he’s asleep.” Even after traveling far and wide to see the man after months of his absence, the man still found a way to be unavailable.

“Oh,” Neji responded. It was unfortunate, because the Hyuga was sure that the boy was excited to reunite with the man that he looked up to so closely.

“It’s fine; he’ll be there later. I’m thinking I’ll probably take a nap until then.”

“Well,” Neji began as he looked through the bedroom doorway, “do you want to sleep here?” He asked before reconnecting his eyes with the Nara who sleepily smiled with a single nod.


	72. Chapter 72

Three knocks came from the front door which stirred Neji from his light slumber. He looked down to the Nara next to him who hadn’t even budged from the faint disturbance, so he decided to answer it himself, praying that it was not Hizashi. He left the bedroom and peered through the door’s peephole to find a man that looked strikingly similar to Shikamaru. The only difference is that the man had a goatee and scars across his face, one of which stretched from his temple to the center of his forehead while the other lasted from his jaw to the center of his cheek. He watched the man look up and down the hall. Neji stepped back before opening the door to find the man to be even more impossible than he did when he could only see a fraction of him through the small glass. He stood with a laxed posture much like his son. He even wore the same metal studs in his ears paired with the same hairdo, but his was a tad unrulier. He was Shikamaru but older with much more history.

Neji stepped to the side and allowed the man inside, “Shikamaru is asleep,” he informed, but it did not stop the man from wandering into the bedroom. Neji shut the door and followed him but stopped in the doorway. He watched as the Nara’s father loomed over him. He almost looked as if he wanted to apologize but it was hard to tell when all he did was narrow his eyes to the boy below him.

The man then let out a gruff “hmph” of satisfaction before he pounced on the boy, trapping him in his arms and rolling to the other side of the bed to where his son lied on top of him startled and a bit disgruntled until he saw who it was that tore him from his dreams.

“Dad?”

Shikaku grabbed either side of his son’s head before placing a long overdue kiss to his son’s vulnerable forehead, “That’s my boy,” he said triumphantly. He then dropped his arms to the bed as Shikamaru rolled off of him. The younger Nara placed his feet to the cold floor and looked down to the man that he found to be just as impossible as Neji had.

“Gods, Dad,” he groaned as he rubbed his tired eyes, “guess I was dumb to expect a normal ‘hey’ from you anyways.”

“I missed you too, boy,” he grinned, whacking his son’s arm .

Neji watched the two interact. It was like Shikamaru was speaking into a mirror. He listened as Shikaku chuckled at whatever the boy said. Shikamaru in turn tried not to laugh at his own jokes. It was as if he did not want to show just how much he had been worried sick over the man, but everyone knew without it being said.

“How’s your mother?” Shikaku asked.

Shikamaru deadpanned, “smoking again, loud.”

Another rough laugh left the elder, “yeah, well, she’s your mother.”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru said as he rolled his eyes until they landed on Neji. Suddenly, the Hyuga was the center of attention because Shikaku’s attention followed. Shikamaru held out a hand towards the Hyuga, “that’s Neji. Be nice,” he ordered calmly.

Shikaku sat up and shoved his son forcefully to show that the comment was unnecessary, “I’m Shikaku,” he said with a lazy smile, “but you probably already knew that since you let me in, huh? Wait, you’re Hizashi’s boy.”

Neji’s eyes narrowed.

“They aren’t on talking terms,” Shikamaru spoke quietly, rubbing a hand against his chest.

“Oh, well, we won’t talk about it. You kids hungry?”

. . .

“They had you driving my old truck?”

“Truck ten?”

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Shikaku confirmed before biting into yet another chicken wing. He lied on the floor next to the serving dish of wings he had ordered some minutes ago. His son sat next to him and chewed on a fry. Neji remembered the ones he would get from the mall’s food court; it was to be expected. Neji sat with his legs crossed and ate the vegetables that came with the dish.

“You vegetarian?” Shikaku asked suddenly.

“No, sir,” he denied.

“Hm,” the man hummed with a half-smile. Just like his son, his nature seemed to be so lazy that full expressions were impossible for them. Still, Neji took them as genuine emotions, “I’m guessing you took Hizashi’s role?”

“Yes.”

“Well, how’d you do?”

Neji thought over everything he had seen or been expected to do. He saw Orochimaru’s taunting smile flash before him before he answered, “the job was undesirable.”

“Well, you do what you can to survive,” the man said before wiping his hands on a napkin, “So, is this mess how you guys met?”

Shikamaru answered, “we go to the same school.”

Shikaku nodded in understanding as he chewed the remnants of chicken left in his teeth, “sorry about this,” he sighed, “this is unfair to the both of you, and there’s nothing I can do to make up for the scares and the lost time and anything else you might’ve lost along the way,” the boys looked to one another. Both thought of the Hyuga’s grandfather, “but I’m sorry that we put you in the middle of all this. I should’ve known years ago that what I do, there’s no place for a kid in the middle. I thought I had everything under control but ended up chasing you away then getting you mixed with a bunch of shit that no one your age should have to deal with,” he said, grabbing his son’s arm. He then leaned towards Neji and rested a firm hand against the male’s shoulder, “I mean it.”

The apology was more heartfelt than Hizashi’s. Hizashi’s apology sounded like more of a plead for forgiveness and understanding than a true wish to make up for everything he had done. Once Neji learned about the girls’ mother, however, the hope to make anything up died in an instant. The Hyuga looked to his lap bitterly.

“You two are safe here. You don’t have to do anymore running or whatever you had to do to survive. Those mafias are crazy, but they’re smart enough to know that they can’t just kill a bunch of feds and get back to business,” Shikaku assured as he rose to a stand. He stretched and cracked a few joints before yawning. He looked to the curtains, “you don’t like sun?”

Neji averted his eyes from the man.

“You a vampire, Neji?” Shikaku joked.

“I told you to be nice,” Shikamaru mumbled before lying back against the ground.

“Okay, okay, I’m just checking the time,” Shikaku said before peeling the curtain back just a bit. Neji looked to find the same buildings scraping the sky as he did hours ago. It was now dark instead of the bright sky he had seen before, “It’s late o’ clock,” Shikaku said in the window as he looked over the view, “your view’s nice,” he then turned back to find his son’s eyes shut like they had been upon his arrival. Near him sat Neji. He had barely eaten a thing, “I know you guys’ve got jet lag, so I’ll leave for the night.”

“Bullshit. The bar’s just opened,” Shikamaru called out.

His father’s laughter is all he got in response as the man playfully stepped directly over his son who curled up on reflex in fear of the man stepping right on him. Shikaku only laughed even more before grabbing a handful of fries and taking for the door, “See you tomorrow,” he waved as he pulled his leather jacket over his shoulders. The door shut behind him welcoming the room’s silence back from earlier.

Shikamaru raised his brows before letting out a long sigh, “kay, now that that’s over,” he began as he sat up from the floor. He crossed his legs and looked to the Hyuga who debated on closing the curtains back, “here,” the Nara said before standing and doing it himself, “I get it. I thought about doing it in my own room but decided to lay down instead,” he admitted.

“When I was stranded in my grandfather’s basement, I saw old things,” Neji said, his gaze still distant.

Shikamaru raised a brow. He walked towards the male and took a seat before him, “old things?”

“From their youth. I saw a bed set.”

Shikamaru leaned back against his hands and waited for Neji to speak.

“There were things carved into the wood. His name was etched into the bed set along with tally marks.”

“Sounds like prison,” the Nara commented.

“That is my concern,” Neji clarified.

“What? You think he was locked up as a kid?”

“He was neglected by my grandfather, I am sure.”

“Well that would explain the difference between him and his brother. The guy’s tiny and deranged.”

Neji knew that what he said was true. Both he and Hiashi were identical twins. The only way for them to have such differences would be from differing environments in which they developed over the years. Hizashi seemed almost sickly compared to his sibling. Neji was angry at Hizashi but knew that he could only place the blame on him to an extent. He could admit this to himself only when the man was not right in front of him. When Hizashi was there in the flesh, all Neji wanted to do is hurt him any way he could. He hated the feeling, but he wished to bring the man harm. He put so many people in harm’s way because he could not figure out how to distance himself from trouble, but Neji had been in his shoes not too long ago. He now knew just how difficult it was to evade said trouble. It was impossible to escape Orochimaru and his counterparts when they were the police all while lurking around every corner.

“What happened to him?” Neji wondered aloud as he studied the floor’s pattern.

Shikamaru leaned forward and bared his elbows against his own legs. He looked Neji in the eye, “Hey,” he said, gaining the other’s attention, “whatever happened, happened. You knowing what happened in the past isn’t going to change everything that’s happened. The guy seems sick if anything. He’s a threat to everything around him. That’s now. Maybe your grandfather is to blame for Hizashi’s issues, but even knowing this, Hizashi was the one who took up the wrong offer in the streets.”

Neji held his eyes as he allowed the words to sink in. He could only think of Hizashi. Hizashi took up every inch of his head space. If it was not hatred towards the man, then it was curiosity and hypothetical situations of how things could have or should have been. The Hyuga wanted to clear his mind. He shut his eyes and looked down to his lap, “I know,” he said before he began to gather the plates.

Shikamaru watched the male collect things in a swift manner. He studied his expression and movements before deciding to help. He lifted his own plate and moved to the kitchen where he placed the leftovers in the refrigerator as Neji washed the plates in the sink. The Nara shut the fridge and watched the Hyuga’s back as he worked. It might have been due to jet lag, but he watched Neji until every last plate he scrubbed was spotless. The Hyuga loomed over the kitchen sink for some moments after cleaning the last dish before turning to spot the Nara who still stood, leaning back against the fridge that was barely any taller than himself. Neji leaned back against the sink and looked to the floor. They simply remained in each other’s presence unknowing of what to do now.

“It’s late,” Shikamaru said, pointing out the obvious.

Neji nodded.

“Alright, see you,” the Nara said taking for the door.

“Do you want to stay?” Neji asked, “here,” he unnecessarily specified.

Shikamaru turned to face the uneasy Hyuga who watched him from the sink. Shikamaru only watched him. Rather than tired, Neji appeared to be having a hard time settling down. The Nara nodded before swaying back towards the door, “Let me go get my stuff. I’ll be right back.”

. . .

Though Shikamaru felt a bit more secure than Neji, not even he could believe that their worries were truly over. He could tell that the male just outside of the bathroom door was swimming through the possibilities as opposed to allowing his mind to rest properly. Shikamaru sighed as he squeezed the excess water from his hair into the towel. He watched the door before looking back to the mirror. He turned his head from side to side. To him, he saw more of his mother than his father.

He turned the door handle on the bathroom door that consisted of foggy glass to conceal those within. He stepped out this time fully clothed. He wore a long-sleeved t-shirt with plaid-patterned pajama pants. Just as he thought, Neji was sitting on the bed, wide awake. The entire point of Shikamaru waiting for Neji to shower first was for the Hyuga to relax right afterwards. The Nara wanted to sigh but stifled it as he approached the other who sat with his back turned. Shikamaru sat down next to the preoccupied male.

“Neji,” Shikamaru spoke.

Neji shook his head and dropped his eyes from the curtains.

“They knew where to find us. They should know how to find Kabuto and the Senju and everyone beyond that,” Shikamaru promised, but Neji couldn’t help but think on. They were given a week to report back having killed a number of people on the list. Now, two days have passed. He only hoped that the ANBU forces will be able to neutralize the threat before Kabuto suspects that they’ve ran and hurts those at home, “Neji.” The Hyuga looked to Shikamaru finally. The Nara gripped his shoulder then eased his hand down his arm, “trust them. They’re all we’ve got”

There was truth in what the boy said. They seemed adept in locating them along with their fathers. They should be able to expose the large organizations without too much trouble.

“Good?” Shikamaru asked, looking from one of his eyes to the other.

Neji nodded but his mouth remained sealed. The Hyuga rose and walked to the other side of the bed before lying down. He faced Shikamaru who continued to ring his hair out in the towel, “Shikamaru.”

The Nara turned just enough to look at Neji. He waited for anything else, but nothing came. The Hyuga simply called his name, so Shikamaru stared to him. Eventually, however, the Nara averted his gaze, “You okay?” He asked.

Neji nodded before shutting his eyes.

Shikamaru simply continued drying his hair before rising to turn off the bathroom light. He tossed the towel into a corner and took his side of the bed. For the first time in a while, they listened to the busy streets as life went on just outside of the hotel window. In a sense, it was comforting to know that they were back amongst so many people where not too much could go unnoticed. It should make it harder for anyone to make any advances while they lied down for the night.

“Shikamaru.”

The Nara’s eyes wandered the night wondering if the Hyuga truly needed anything or if something was wrong, “Yeah?” He asked unsure of the reason for Neji’s calling his name. He then felt Neji against his side. He felt Neji’s nose brush against his shoulder as the Hyuga placed a hand on his stomach which trailed up to the Nara’s chest. Now, more than ever, Shikamaru was confused, but he did not move. He simply allowed Neji to make himself comfortable. That alone was enough to quicken the beats of Shikamaru’s heart. Then again, it never truly took much from the Hyuga to reduce Shikamaru to such a state.


	73. Chapter 73

Neji dried his hands with a paper towel and turned off the faucet water then made his way from the kitchen to the door where the first knock of the day sounded. He opened it to find the man from yesterday standing over him just as sternly as he did in the airport.

“Your family is being brought here for their safety. They should arrive later tonight if not tomorrow morning while we investigate the area. We believe we have pinpointed the culprit’s location. Again, stay here until we tell you it is safe to leave the hotel,” he said before leaving the two to tend to their new daily routine.

Neji shut the door and looked to Shikamaru who lounged on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table. The Nara offered him a lazy yet comforting smile. The Hyuga felt more at ease than he had in months. His family would be safe, and the ANBU was driving the gangs into a corner. Neji widened his eyes before opening the door and calling for the man, “Excuse me,” he called.

The man stopped and turned to face the Hyuga.

“Sasuke Uchiha,” Neji said, “I believe he is in danger.”

“Anyone of the Uchiha are the danger, that much we’ve figured out. If Sasuke is more a victim than a criminal then that will reveal itself in questioning once we close the case,” he said before continuing down the hall.

Neji frowned but thought over his words. Sasuke was no criminal, so everything should work out once he explains himself in questioning like the man had said. Sasuke will be okay. Neji settled on the answer and shut the door behind himself to find that the Nara had yet to move. The Hyuga locked the door then moved towards the living space.

“Try to relax,” Shikamaru said. It seemed absurd but what else could Neji do at that point?

Neji sat next to him and rolled his sleeves down after his hands dried from washing their breakfast plates. Shikaku had been kind enough to bring them breakfast from the hotel café that morning since they slept long past its closing.

“What do you wanna do until then? We can’t leave,” Shikamaru reminded him.

“You could catch up with your father,” Neji suggested.

“He should be asleep by now. It’s midday.”

“I see.”

They both stared to the black television screen, “Wanna watch something?”

Neji did not answer before Shikamaru reached for the remote and placed his feet back onto the surface. He leaned back against the couch and flipped through station after station. Neji watched as the boy went past a romcom station before clicking back to it. Shikamaru lightly laughed at the couple on screen.

“We used to make fun of these things,” we being the Nara and his father.

Neji watched as the woman made a fuss out of everything that the man did. She cursed at him and threw objects including the rose vase given to her only moments ago. Somehow, the male on screen found it arousing. The man gripped the woman’s hand as she cried, mascara running down her cheeks as the man silenced her complaints with a kiss on the lips that seemed to melt away the woman’s anger. Before they knew it, the couple was against the wall which Neji found to be wildly unrealistic.

Shikamaru laughed. Neji looked to him but barely caught a glimpse of his face before the Nara fell against his shoulder. He continued to laugh, and it confused the elder male.

“Your face,” Shikamaru finally let out, “gods I can tell you haven’t watched a second of this.”

“No. I have not,” Neji said, looking to the boy on his shoulder.

Shikamaru leaned away, looking back to the screen. His smile persisted. Neji simply looked away from the screen as the Nara continued to laugh. Eventually, the Hyuga stood and walked towards the bedroom.

Once he entered, Neji sat at the edge of the bed to rid himself of the foolishness on the screen in the next room over. He then heard feet shuffling towards the room and not much later appeared the Nara who leaned against the frame of the door before continuing towards Neji in the room that was darkened greatly by the solid curtains that Neji still refused to pull back.

“Didn’t like it?”

Neji shook his head, “It was different,” he put politely, “I might sleep until they get here,” he said, looking to the younger.

“Okay, I’ll go turn it off.”

“You do not have to. I do not mind.”

“No, you’re right; it’s stupid,” before Neji could decline any further, Shikamaru stood to turn the screen off in the neighboring room before returning shortly after, “I had the same idea as you a while back. Might as well just sleep. Maybe we can ask the guy to get us some board games or something.” He was joking of course.

“Perhaps,” Neji said, feeling a smile threatening to pull at the corners of his lips.

The two then lied down, tucked underneath the thick, cushiony yet airy blanket. The two had done nothing but rest since their arrival, so neither of them were necessarily tired, but there was nothing else to do. Neji turned to face the Nara who turned to face him as well. They stared to one another silently, but it was not awkward. They simply looked over the other, the darkness dulling either of their images. Earth Country was a bit cooler than Fire Country which added to the blanket’s comfort. It was warm. It was safe. Neji looked to the Nara’s lips then his eyes and earrings. Shikamaru looked to the Hyuga’s eyes, cheeks and jaw. They remained like that for countless minutes as their breath warmed them from the Earth nation’s cold.

“We could do something to pass the time,” Shikamaru said in a whisper that ghosted over Neji’s lips, “something to distract us,” as he spoke, his eyes continued to wander the other’s features. Neji took the attention that the Nara needed to orchestrate his wording, “if you want.”

Neji’s lids grew heavy the longer he focused on the other. His mind ran with things that they could do to pass the time, “we could talk,” he suggested.

Shikamaru’s eyes dropped to the male’s lips, “yeah, we could. About what?”

Neji sat up and pulled the covers up to his chest to shield himself from the piercing cold. He studied the bed beyond his feet as he thought, “how long have you been alone?”

It was a starter unrelated to anything leading up to it, but Shikamaru found no reason to avoid answering the honest question. He sat up, placing the both of them shoulder to shoulder, “hard to say. He would come and go. I think as time went on, I saw less and less of him, so it was this disappearance that was gradual,” he answered. It was quiet as the two thought of how to branch the topic out, “so, what is this like a deal where you ask me a question, I ask you one and it just goes back and forth?”

Neji considered it, “sure.”

“Okay,” Shikamaru began before shifting to face the Hyuga who looked to him, “have you ever been with anyone?”

Neji’s gaze dropped, “dating?”

Shikamaru nodded.

“No,” the senior answered, “have you?”

Shikamaru shook his head. It counted as Neji’s question for the round, so the Nara asked next, “hobbies?” It was like a chance to catch up after knowing each other for so long all while knowing so little of one another.

“I used to paint. I was never skilled in drawing, so I tended to sway towards colors more often.”

Shikamaru tilted his head with a smirk, “yeah? I usually sketched. Coloring was a drag. Couldn’t get the hang of it.”

It would explain the order of which the Nara chose to graffiti the school building.

“Do you have other hobbies?” The Hyuga asked next.

“You can’t just bounce my questions right back,” the Nara said.

Neji’s eyes wandered the room, looking for ideas. The room was rather dull, it lacked color, “favorite color?”

“Forest green. It’s like a dark green, but since you dealt with colors, I’m sure you know that already,” Shikamaru lied back against the mattress and looked up to Neji who returned the stare, “Who’s your favorite? Hanabi or Hinata?”

“That is not how siblings work, Nara.”

Shikamaru chuckled, “guess I lost my turn.”

“How long do you think they will keep us here?”

Shikamaru shrugged. Both their faces hardened as their minds retraced what they left behind in Konohagakure. It was only a matter of time until they were traced back to being the cause of the various deaths across town. Not only that, but they left the van they had stolen from the man they killed upon arriving. Somewhere down the line, the two tossed the body into the bushes once the sun fell, but the van was still registered under the man’s name.

“They will find out eventually,” Neji said as he thought about the gun that Yamato had taken that night. They had all the evidence they needed. They should bask in their freedom while they were still considered no more than students ripped from their studies, “do you believe that they will be gracious enough to consider that we were forced into doing what we did?”

“We?” Shikamaru asked, “you might’ve touched the gun, but I fired it. You’re just an accomplice.”

Neji sealed his lips at the reminder. He hadn’t killed anyone whose name was on the list. The only time he had killed a man was when his life was in danger. It was done out of self-defense. Neji watched the white blanket that weighed thickly over his legs. Shikamaru stared to the ceiling. It was only a matter of time.

. . .

The two watched the screen as the game progressed. Neither of them really paid too much attention to the score or the game’s details. Their minds were stuck on the man who had been kind enough to pick them up then to the view of him as they carried his lifeless body to the back of his own car to be hidden and discarded.

Neji was shaken back to the present once Shikamaru stood and made his way to the restroom. The Hyuga looked to the door as the Nara passed through it, leaving him alone to ponder over the oncoming consequences. He shut his eyes and inhaled slowly before placing his elbows against his knees and dropping his head into his hands. There was nothing they could do. The most they could do was hope to be granted some sort of forgiveness after being threatened into doing the task. Then again, there was the fact that neither of them had even tried to contact the ANBU. However, the ANBU weren’t even a consideration in their young minds. Their experience stopped at police, but the police weren’t on their side as far as getting them out of the trap.

Neji listened as the crowd’s cheers erupted through the television’s speakers after a player scored so many points. Still, the Hyuga processed none of it. He only saw the man whose face was covered by the Nara’s jacket as the sun beamed over its bloodied stains. The man’s lifeless body would rock as the vehicle moved. The shaded spots from trees overhead would cast small shadows against the corpse as the car shook him. The man’s existence began to weigh heavier on Neji’s mind than when it did when their only concern was pleasing the man up top. Oddly enough, knowing that they wouldn’t be punished for it allowed a sliver of sanity to remain, but it was over. They would be discovered and reprimanded for choosing to take lives as opposed to risking their own and those of which they cared about.

They Hyuga stared to the false wooden flooring as his concerns began to move towards his chest then lower to his stomach. It felt as if it constricted. He was only seventeen having been tossed into a world much opposite than he had ever imagined. His mind conjured up the small sound of the gun piercing the woman on the swing in the middle of the night. His breath quickened as his consciousness swayed towards the pain that tore at Shikamaru once he climbed back into the car. Neji thought about seeing the Nara appearing from the back of the old bar after ridding the world of a poor old man who had been too far gone to know of his own predicament. Then, finally, Kiba. Kiba had apologized until he was breathless Neji was sure. The Inuzuka seemed apart from himself. He wasn’t himself. He couldn’t think straight. He had rocked and held himself desperately as if he could feel his own identity drifting apart from his physical being. He was squirrelly to say the least and reduced to a conduit for the chemical constructed in Orochimaru’s lab. Only, now it was led by Kabuto, the very one who claimed to be behind its chemistry. He had taken over and was much more merciless than his predecessor. He did not hesitate to tell the boys to end the lives of those who were slow to bring in his revenue. He was ready to execute anything that hindered his success. He put the two to use without giving them a second to comprehend the move. Just the order alone proved that nothing would stop Kabuto from getting rid of the teens if they proved to be useless.

Neji’s mind swung from their possible arrest to what Kabuto would do to them if he were to somehow become aware of their coordinates. Plenty of things could happen between then and when his family arrived. The Akatsuki or Senju could intervene. They could take them hostage or kill them as punishment for Neji failing to complete his first assignment under Kabuto’s rule. Neji shut his eyes from the idea. He exhaled. Kabuto was not excessive like Orochimaru had been. Kabuto did not seem to be the type to carry through with anything unless it benefitted him in some way. He did not beat around the bush; there was no point in him terrorizing Hiashi or the girls. Neji tried to convince himself that at least, but there were still so many things that he was unaware of.

The Hyuga lifted his head and looked to the bedroom entrance wondering when the Nara would be back. The television failed at capturing his attention long enough to distract him. He needed to engage in something. Even a conversation would help. A part of him knew that he only hoped Shikamaru would say something, anything to ease his nerves. Neji quickly learned that being alone with his own mind in the middle of the chaos was only venomous. Luckily, he heard the bathroom door open from within the bedroom and in stepped Shikamaru who drifted to the couch before falling against its cushions lazily. He held out a sigh up until his head fell against Neji’s lap. He rolled his eyes shut at the contact without speaking a word to Neji.

“Are you alright?” Neji asked just a bit above the croak that he had been fighting after being so tense at the ideas that battered his state of mind.

Shikamaru nodded falsely, “can you change the…” he pointed to the screen, avoiding even looking to the television as the pictures that were displayed differed from the heavy aura of the room.

“Yes,” Neji said before turning the screen off. He sat the remote down next to himself and looked to the light that beamed over the room’s front door. He listened to the city’s cars just outside of the hotel room.

“I used your toothpaste,” Shikamaru said.

Neji looked down to the younger, “did you…”

“Throw up? Yeah,” Shikamaru kept his eyes shut as a smile grew on his face, “it’s like we switched places or something.” The reminder of what they left at home for the feds to investigate had sent the Nara into disarray. He felt just as shaken as the elder male.

“It’s alright,” Neji assured, resting his hand against the boy’s head, running his hand back, stroking his smooth hairs, “Shikamaru?”

“Hm?”

“We will make it through this,” whether they have to write to each other when it’s over or they are behind bars together.


	74. Chapter 74

The rest of the day consisted of them either resting, trying to rest, or overthinking, forgetting where they were in the moment. The pattern continued until there was a knock at the door. Both of their heads whipped towards the sound before they looked to one another. Shikamaru stood from where he sat on the kitchen counter and opened the door to reveal his father. He stood just as smugly as the boy typically would if he weren’t spiraling mentally into an abyss of possibilities and events.

“You guys busy?” Shikaku asked.

. . .

Shikaku sat across from the two who had yet to make conversation. They only stared to the dining table of the hotel’s diner. The elder Nara stirred his drink before dropping his hand to the table, “you two alright?” He finally asked.

Neji shut his mouth having realized that his lips had been slightly ajar. Shikamaru straightened his back before leaning back against the booth. The junior nodded, never taking his eyes from the table. Shikaku then leaned forwards against the table and lowered his voice, “you guys are safe here.”

“It’s not that,” his son said.

“Then, what’s going on?” Shikaku questioned as his eyes darted from Shikamaru to Neji and back.

“We fucked up,” Shikamaru said simply.

Neji spun his head to eye Shikamaru, hoping that he would not say too much.

“We really fucked up,” Shikamaru whispered.

Shikaku slowly leaned back, keeping his eyes on his son as the boy leaned his head against the table. He analyzed his mannerisms and those of the male next to him, “well, whatever it is you guys did, I’m sure I’ve done worse.”

“That’s the thing,” Shikamaru lifted his head, “the investigation is still in full swing. They haven’t gotten to the smaller bits yet. They’re trying to sort everything out and put a name to whatever crime was committed. So far, we’re the victims,” he whispered across the table before looking to his surroundings to ensure that no one had been paying too much attention to their discussion.

Shikaku looked to his glass of cherry brown liquor before eyeing Neji who shifted under his gaze, “you’re worried.”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru shot him a look that told the man that his choice of words were not only obvious.

Shikaku licked the inside of cheek with a slow nod as his fingers traced the wet glass of the liquor.

Neji kept his stare to the general public to remove himself from the table as much as he could all while staying put.

“Just don’t say anything,” Shikaku said.

“I can’t lie to the fucking feds,” Shikamaru hissed in a whisper.

“Well, what the hell did you do to make your case this bad?”

Shikamaru looked around until his eyes landed on Neji who still avoided the gaze of either Nara. The Hyuga’s back was straighter than ever. The Nara then looked back to his father who waited for the answer. Shikamaru only allowed his head to fall back against the table.

“Look, you’re kids. Your sentence would be lighter,” Shikaku tried.

Shikamaru only stood and began to distance himself from the table when he stopped. There was no where else to go besides the room. He was stuck here until the ANBU decide that he’s worth dissecting. He had walked right into their hands. Now, he waited to be notified of an interrogation. The Nara turned to look to his father who watched him. The younger of the two returned the stare before his shoulders slumped. He then looked to Neji who finally allowed his eyes to acknowledge Shikamaru. The two locked eyes and remained connected until Neji got the silent message. The Hyuga stood and tilted his head politely towards Shikaku who returned the gesture.

. . .

The two stood as they waited for the elevator to reach the lobby. They were alone until another approached them. He wore a hood and kept his head low. Shikamaru stepped just a bit closer to Neji and kept his eyes on the number next to the elevator that continued to drop as the lift neared them. The Nara then looked directly to its doors which were reflective. He caught the visual of just a sliver of blond hair escaping the hood over the head of the man that stood at their backs. The man did nothing. He said nothing, but Shikamaru couldn’t help the paranoia. He continued to stare to the man’s reflection until his stare was met with the glance of blue eyes. Shikamaru averted his eyes quickly and looked down the hall to spot Hizashi entering the walkway, carrying a bag of processed cookies. The two noticed each other instantly. Hizashi paused in his tracks once he noticed Neji right next to the Nara. Shikamaru continued to stare to the man, hoping to fend him off to avoid a harsh confrontation between the two Hyuga. He made sure to keep his eyes on the man who still continued to stand seemingly clueless to the sign. Hizashi eyed his own son before turning to make his way towards the opposite direction. Shikamaru was unsure if the man had walked away having been shut out, or if he considered speaking to the male later. Telling from his expression, it was the latter.

The elevator rang before its doors rolled open, but as they did, the Nara could not find the hooded man’s reflection. He had left the two. Shikamaru tried to silence his paranoia by telling himself that the elevator had been much too slow for the man’s liking which was why he walked off unnoticed. He was silent as he approached much like when he left. His desire to get to the room for the day swelled as he climbed onto the elevator with Neji close to his shoulder. The doors shut, enclosing them in yet another space alone. Shikamaru stared to their reflections in the door before leaning his head back against the wall.

“Should we tell them ourselves?” Neji spoke.

“I don’t know which is more incriminating,” the Nara said.

“It would be better to be honest and hope that we do not go down as horribly as we could.”

“I know, but there’s a reason why they haven’t taken us in yet.”

Neji went silent as he thought over the fact. It was something to consider but no where near enough to mean that they were being let off, “I suppose.”

. . .

“You sure? You know you’re welcome to come with us,” Shikaku double checked.

Neji faced the two Nara that waited outside of the room’s door, “I am sure.”

“This isn’t because you think we need some father-son time or something, is it?” Shikamaru asked jokingly.

Neji shook his head, “I am only tired,” truthfully, Shikamaru had been spot on with his assumption, but he did not want it to hinder their enjoyment. They needed all the time they could get as long as the times were unpredictable. It had been hours since their return to the room. In those hours the two realized that there was nothing to do other than fill the stillness, so Shikamaru decided to spend it with his father, “go on. I will be here”

“Oh, yeah, they should be here later, huh,” Shikamaru remembered.

“Who?” Shikaku asked.

“His family. They’re bringing them here just to be safe,” his son answered.

Neji took it and ran, “Yes. I want to be here just in case they come.”

“Alright, well if you’re sure. I mean, it’s still kinda early; you still have time,” Shikamaru said.

“I will be fine. I will see you later,” Neji said before stepping back and shutting the door. In truth, it was still early, much earlier than his family’s estimated arrival time. He looked over the room wondering what he should do until then.

Three knocks came from behind him. Neji turned to look to who stood on the other side to find the same agent as before. He opened it and greeted the man with a simple nod, unsure of what to say.

“We will give you the rest of the day to rest, then we will commence questioning tomorrow morning,” he informed.

Neji only nodded again, a broken stiff nod.

“Where is Shikamaru Nara?”

“He went to the dining room with his father,” Neji answered.

“As long as he does not leave the building,” the man reminded.

“Yes, sir.”

The agent then left without a word to attend to whatever work had their hands so tied. Neji supposed they had to ensure their safety before they began asking questions. Again, the Hyuga shut the door and started towards the bedroom when someone else came knocking at the door. He made a mental note to himself to check for any waiting line that might have been standing outside of the room before he shut the door this time. He sighed then turned to open it without looking due to the knocks being so redundant. Upon answering, Neji’s face immediately contorted into one of disdain before he swung the door shut only for it to be stopped by the visitor’s hand.

“Wait!”

Neji only pressed harder against the door, catching the man’s wrist in the door. He heard a pained yell that halted his efforts. He stepped back, “Leave!” He ordered.

“Wait, wait, just please,” Hizashi begged, easing the door open.

Neji watched him in disbelief as he walked in the room and shut the door behind himself. In his hand was a toy that did little to help Neji’s respect for the man, “have you not taken enough?”

“Neji,” the man held his hands out before him as if trying to tame an enraged animal, “please, just,” Hizashi slowly shook his head as he shrunk towards the floor.

“Your begging will not help you,” Neji hissed.

“Here,” the man said, holding the action figure towards the Hyuga.

Neji slapped the toy from the man’s hand. Hizashi watched it slide across the floor before he crawled after it. Neji watched the peculiar man and grew more disgusted with each passing second as Hizashi lifted the toy as if it were his life savings.

“This was yours. Do you remember when I told you that you nurtured a toy as if it were a baby doll?” Hizashi asked as he stared to the piece of plastic with his back turned, “Even though you were surrounded by violence, you still had a caring nature that wasn’t even a result of your mother because she was gone.”

“You killed her,” Neji said lowly.

“No, no,” Hizashi assured as he turned to face Neji, “she – she flew away.”

“My real mother,” Neji corrected, “the one that raised me. She died because of you.”

“What?” Hizashi’s eyes widened, “Hiashi’s wife?”

Neji only stood as his heart threatened to break every rib in his chest. He was angrier than he had ever been in his life. The deranged man didn’t even know of the consequences of his own poorly orchestrated actions, “she is dead because of you and you, alone. You failed to do something right and she was killed because of it,” Neji said through gritted teeth.

Hizashi stared at him blankly.

“You killed her, damn it!”

“I don’t remember! No one ever told me!” Hizashi defended.

Before Neji knew it, his hands were wrapped tightly around Hizashi’s throat in blinding rage. They were tight enough to cut off air flow. Neji knew this, but he did not know what he was trying to do. He only let out as much anger as he could through harming the man who claimed to care so much about him but only brought pain and suffering.

Hizashi’s face began to turn red as tears streamed down his frightened face. He gripped his son’s wrists, at first trying to pry the boy’s hands from his neck. His grip then fell, and he allowed the boy to be angry, to blame him. He only watched Neji as the boy’s face shifted from resentful to pained. His own eyes began to well up before he dropped his hands and sat back against the wooden floors. Hizashi took in a harsh breath before coughing. The younger breathed just as hard, but he was still infuriated just from the sight of the man. He had lost control. It scared him just as much as the man he had been strangling. Neji then swiped the toy intending to tear it limb from limb before he stopped himself. He stood from the floor, “get out,” he ordered, “get out or I will do it again,” he threatened emptily.


	75. Chapter 75

Hizashi continued to catch his breath against the ground as he wiped his eyes, “Neji, I’m so sorry.”

“I know. Go.”

Much to his horror, Hizashi began to cry. Neji only stepped back, his grip tightening on the toy. He wondered why the man had little to no self-awareness. He wondered why he continued to think he could come back into his life after everything, after all this time.

“I’m sorry I can’t do anything right, I’m sorry,” the man apologized into the sleeves of his combat jacket. He covered his face with both arms to shield his tears as he lied back against the floor. It was barely a barrier between himself and losing every bit of dignity he’s ever had leading up to that point, “I’m sorry.”

Neji watched him stiffly. He saw Hizashi then saw Kiba apologizing profusely on the couch of his own living room. The Inuzuka had been rocking, skinnier and deranged much like Hizashi, “did you…”

Hizashi continued to cry.

“Did you use Orochimaru’s drug?” Neji asked.

“No! Gods no! I’m just a fuck up! I’m _stupid_ , Neji! A wreck.”

Neji flenched at his volume. Still, he wondered if he had told the truth because he was exhibiting behavior that screamed of the chemical, “I do not believe you.”

“Fine then don’t! I’m telling the truth! I’m just fucking crazy on my own! I don’t need drugs to be out of my mind, I’ve heard it my whole life!”

Neji frowned, “that is not my fault.”

“I know,” Hizashi sniffled, “I know. I just wish that I was better. I want to be better, but I don’t know how.”

Finally, Neji calmed himself a bit seeing that he had to be the bigger person in this all. He seemed to be the sanest one of the two, and if they were both to act out, there was no doubt that someone could end up hurt or doing something regrettable. Hizashi’s level of emotion was something that Neji was not used to coming from a grown man. It was not only unsettling, but alarming. He hadn’t a clue of what to do.

“What,” Neji began, “Happened to you?” He asked after observing the thinness of the man’s wrists that failed miserably to cover the man’s emotional instability.

Hizashi only turned onto his side and curled up, holding his head. Neji did not get an answer. He simply stood there, watching over the man until it became uncomfortable. Shikamaru had been right; the man was rather small compared to his brother. His clothing swallowed him whole and only made him appear to be even scrawnier.

“Dad didn’t want me,” Hizashi put simply.

Neji looked back to the man who he hadn’t expected to answer at all.

“Hiashi was born before me. He’s older. Even though the difference is only by a couple of minutes, Dad didn’t see us the same.”

It started at birth.

“Believe it or not, your grandpa was loopy just like me,” Hizashi lifted his head and smiled to Neji who still had no clue of what to think of the man, “he was paranoid and believed in a bunch of conspiracies and omens. He was superstitious all the time, well every time I saw him,” his expression then dulled before he lied his head back against the cool flooring, “he was…”

Neji still stood as he listened. He crossed his arms and looked to the refrigerator to keep from having to see the man in such a state.

“He believed twins were like a curse or like a sign of something bad, but he couldn’t bring himself to kill me, oh no, so he kept me away. It was easier because when something’s out of sight, then it’s out of mind, right?” He smiled bitterly.

Neji’s eyes drifted back to Hizashi to find him sitting up right. His long, matted hair was now disheveled since being strangled before breaking down against the floor.

“Sometimes I wondered why he didn’t just give me up. Well, I guess it’s easier to keep an eye on something you think is evil instead of letting it run around somewhere else,” he let out a lengthy breath, “I wondered why not just kill me?” He spoke as he stared to the floor. He was distant and seemed to be speaking to himself, “he kept me in that room for years with nothing, with no one. Sometimes Hiashi would sneak upstairs and whisper to me through the locket, teach me how to read or count. He was at least nice to me, but after Mom died giving birth to me, I had already proven that I was in fact evil. That didn’t help my case much, I guess,” he chuckled.

“Where did he lock you?” Neji asked quietly.

HIzashi placed his hands onto his crossed legs, “he kept me in the attic. It would get warm up there, but I had a window at least. He told me to keep the curtain over it, but I would look through it sometimes, but since I looked just like Hiashi, no one ever wondered who the kid in the attic was. They always thought it was him. One day, there was a boy my age walking the street and he saw me. I stared at him because I didn’t know if he was really paying me any mind, but he stopped and waved, so I waved back. We were silly kids,” he smiled, “we played a silent game where he’d do something, and I’d repeat it. Eventually he looked crazy jumping and dancing in the street, but he didn’t care what others thought, he kept entertaining me. All fun things have to come to an end, though. Dad got fed up with me jumping around upstairs, so he told me to be quiet. I couldn’t play the game anymore, but I couldn’t tell the boy that would come down the street every day, so I tried my best to tell him. I shook my head when he tried. Luckily, he was sharp as a whip. I think he understood that whatever was keeping me from playing wasn’t because I didn’t want to play; it was something else, so we tried something different. I stomped again and waited for Dad to come and scold me, but once he came, I asked for paper and markers or anything to write with. He opened the door and tossed me a single black marker and said I’d get the paper later. Days passed and there was no paper, so I ended up covering my arms and legs in drawings,” he laughed, “Hiashi ended up slipping paper under the door for me, Gods he was all I had until I chased him away too,” he frowned before catching Neji’s eyes. He paused.

“What about the boy?” Neji asked hesitantly.

“Oh, well, I used the paper to write things to him so we could communicate better. I asked him yes or no questions, simple questions that were within my spelling ability, and he would nod or send a thumbs up or shake his head to answer. Later he came back with his own sign. He used a chalk board and chalk that he could erase and write on again and again which helped out with conversations. One day, I wrote something a bit too small for him to see because I ran out of paper space, so he stepped closer and eventually wandered towards our gate. The gate didn’t stop him, so he climbed over it and snuck into the backyard. He would crane his neck to look up, and there I would be waiting for him to answer the question I had asked. I asked what his name was. He wrote and scribbled before he held it up high, sometimes jumping to help me get a better view. His name was Shikaku Nara. He said he lived in the green house down the street. Of course, I didn’t know what he meant since I hadn’t even seen that far, but I told him my name and he paused. I think he thought I spelled my own name wrong, so he asked me if I was Hiashi. I shook my head and told him exactly who I was, but that might not have been the best decision,” he nearly grimaced, “I think Shikaku went home and told his parents about me and they got police involved. Of course, Dad hid me and told them to rest assured. I didn’t exist. He said it was a game that Hiashi was playing, and Hiashi played along. I don’t blame him; Dad was scary. Of course, after that, Dad was angrier than ever, and he let it out on me. He got some really mean words in. It was also the first time he’d ever hit me,” Hizashi seemed to blank out for some time remembering it. He rubbed his wrists gently as the scene played out before him, “after that, I stayed away from the window. I just know Shikaku wondered what happened to me. I wonder if he ever thought that Dad’s story had been true, but Hiashi didn’t know Shikaku. We lived so close that they had to be going to school together, but still. He didn’t know Shikaku like I did. You know, staying in that attic was torture that I had gotten used to because I knew nothing else, so every event, holiday, reunion, vacation and birthday went on outside of the house or right underneath me. I started putting names with imaginary faces like one that I learned to be grandma. I’ve read picture books, so I matched her voice to an old lady I saw on one page and did it again with other characters from different books for the different voices. Each cousin and aunt, uncle, grandparent, they all had a picture book character assigned to them in my mind,” Hizashi pointed to his own head as he stared to Neji’s feet, “I was so lonely, and the mind is a powerful thing, I pretended they were there and I guess I lost my mind. My imagination became too real.”

Neji felt a pain that continued to poke at him in his chest. It was pity, but it was still a burning hatred of what had resulted from it all. He continued to watch the man before settling himself to the ground. Hizashi’s eyes lifted from the ground once he heard the boy settle. He looked to the younger unsure of what he had meant by lowering himself to his level after trying desperately to distance himself. Neji’s eyes told of his pity towards the man, but Hizashi only blinked as he tried to remember where he had left off.

“Then, I…” he tried, “Dad noticed, I think. He would bring me food and I think he heard me talking to myself on multiple occasions. He only saw it as more evil or something, I don’t know, but he told me to stop, but it was hard. I continued to talk to myself without even being aware of it. Man, I lost a couple of bolts and screws,” he joked as he scratched the back of his head, “I would carve things into my bed with a nail just to pass the time since he stopped giving me paper. Thinking about the paper made me think about Shikaku, so one day I ripped the sheet from the window that Dad sealed against it. I reappeared in the window and continued to do so day after day, but Shikaku never reappeared. I was sad, but I knew better than to get mad at him. If he did the same to me, I wouldn’t even go near the house after that. After that, it was the same thing day after day for years. I would wake up, draw on myself or the walls and sleep and repeat. One day, the lock clicked, and the door creaked open just a bit. It wasn’t time for dinner or time for the bathroom, so it made me nervous. It stayed open, and I crept towards it. I was careful not to make noise. I peaked through it to find the same hall that I’ve always known. At the end of it was where the steps to the lower floor began. I was bold that day. I walked towards them. It was the furthest I’ve been ever since being put up there. I looked down the steps then stepped on the first one and squatted to look through the railing. I saw light. It was brighter than anything I’ve ever known. So, I got the guts to go a bit lower. I explored each room that was new to me. It was large and confusing. I think I got lost a couple of times, but I found another staircase that led even lower, so I walked down it wondering if Dad, by some miracle, finally didn’t hate me anymore, so I was excited. I reached the lower floor to find even more light. I looked through the windows and saw what faced the other side of the house finally. There were even more houses and plants and this fountain. I was amazed but then I heard something from down the hall. It took me some time to figure it out, but it came from the kitchen. I walked in and went through the little doors which turned out to be cabinets. Behind them was a bunch of food that I had never seen before in all my sixteen-fifteen years. I ate it, you better believe. Then I heard someone say ‘hey’, and I turned around with my mouth stuffed with peanut butter. I saw my brother for the first time in years. He was like me but stronger, taller, healthier. He had more color in his face. He just smiled at me. His hair was short, I remember. My hair was long and tangled. When he walked to me, I didn’t know what to do. It was surreal. He told me that Dad was out, and he wanted to have fun and see what it’s like to have a brother. He gave me a tour of the house and gave me some clothes to wear. He showed me this painting of us together. It was huge and I never understood it because we were never together. We never even looked to be the exact same, so it was strange. He said it was a gift from our grandmother on our mother’s side who painted it. She told him that the painting is of what could have been if Hiashi’s twin had lived. Turns out, Dad told everyone I had died with my mother at birth. At the time, I didn’t know how to process it, so I only stared to our differences in the painting and took a wild guess of who was who. Then, started the tour back up; Hiashi said we didn’t have a lot of time to sneak around. He made me food which I thought was amazing. He could cook, I simply grabbed snacks and ate them, because I knew nothing of kitchen stuff and ingredients and measurements and the proper temperatures and what not. He helped me get the tangles out of my hair the best way he knew how. He really ripped our mom’s old comb through it and said I could keep it since neither of them needed it. He said my hair was ‘cool’. I didn’t really think so myself. If anything, I wanted to look like my cooler older brother, but his compliment meant the world, so I took it to heart and had a newfound pride in it. I guess it held over all these years,” he toyed with the broken ends of his hair, “the downside to such a big house was never hearing someone approaching. Dad caught us while Hiashi was teaching me to read comics. He looked like he saw a ghost just because I was anywhere but the old dusty attic. I tried to run back to where I was supposed to be, but dad gripped me. I curled up because I was scared, but Hiashi came in and pulled Dad away, and I slipped away. Hiashi told me to run, run away, get help, but Dad told me to never return or else. I was scared, so I ran out of the house. My first breath of fresh air was strange. The air was different in a way that I couldn’t explain. It was like the air was moving but I could still hear my dad’s yelling and things breaking, so I ran. I ran around the outside of the house and took off towards a direction that I knew anything of. I ran to a green house that sat down the street.”


	76. Chapter 76

“I stood outside of the house and stared at it. I don’t know how long I stood there, but the door opened. I remember thinking that someone caught me and would chase me away, but it was Shikaku. He was older than before of course since it had been some years. He was taking out the trash and stopped when he looked at me. He wondered why I was there of course. I figured that he thought I was my brother, but he walked towards the curb and dropped the bag off into the garbage can. I kept staring at him, but he seemed to ignore me. He turned back to his house but spun on his heel and looked to me. We just stared to each other. I was in shock still unable to process much of anything. I guess the look on my face gave it away because he said ‘Hizashi?’. I think my eyes went even wider. I didn’t know what to do, everything was so crazy, and I just wanted to get away from Dad. Both of us remembered what happened the last time we told, so he just took me in. His parents were out, I think. We hung out in his room and he taught me to play video games and answered any questions I had about the world. I thought he was so cool because he knew so much about everything. Looking back, he was a kid just like me, so how much could he really know? Still, it was much more than anything I could make up answers to. I remember trying to understand rain, I thought that people made the rain. It was silly,” he laughed, “his parents came back and Shikaku told them that I was Hiashi and I just came to say hi and apologize for what happened some years back. It turned out that his parents weren’t much better than Dad. They were mean and didn’t give him any attention which is why he was willing to run off with me, I guess. I stayed for a while, and his parents got mad saying that I was leeching off their food and their bills and that I needed to go. Shikaku said that if I go, then he goes. That’s what ended up happening in the end. We packed things. I still wore my brother’s clothes. They were huge but enough. We left. He packed enough for both of us, and we went towards the city. It was rough staying on the streets, but we made it work. We stole from time to time. Shikaku was stubborn. I told him he could go back home, but he said he didn’t want to. He told me that his parents did something he couldn’t forgive them for, so we kept running. Eventually we ran into him, Orochimaru. He gave us a place to stay. It was this grand mansion and we got anything we wanted. Eventually he started charging,” Hizashi caught Neji’s eyes, “he wanted our services, so we gave them to him, fearing being tossed out again. We were young and survival was first. It started out simple then got worse as time went on. Ironically, as time went on, he gave us more freedom and authority, but our conscious was heavier than ever. I started to feel like Dad’s words of me being evil were true because of what we had to do to people. Still, we were too deep into it; we couldn’t just step out, not alive at least. We did horrible things in exchange for our lives and the lives of those we cared about. Eventually he trusted us enough to live apart from the manor, so Shikaku began living out of his truck and I got an apartment with a girl I met at this place I’d go to whenever things got too heavy. We moved in together, had you, but she found out about me and everything I was, so she ran. She left everything, even you. I never shipped her off, I never sacrificed anything to send her away. She left herself without a note, leaving me with you,” it was different from the story he first told Neji, but at least it was the truth, “Shikaku would rarely have the time to visit, but when he did, he’d play with you, then about a year later, he had his own, Shikamaru. It was the same story with him except he and Yoshino actually went as far as marriage when they found out she was pregnant. I don’t know how he ever caught her attention since he was a truck driver and all, but they were perfect for each other. It was his career that drove them apart. I hated seeing it. I’m convinced he visited me more than her. Maybe it was because of guilt. Anyways, sometime after their marriage – maybe two years later – I realized that you weren’t safe with me. Well, I’ve always known, so I gave you to Hiashi – more like begged him to take you after tracking him for months. By then, he knew just what I’ve been up to since we secretly stayed in touch over the years. Sometimes I’d send letters to him under a different name, so Dad wouldn’t toss the letters. That’s how I found him once he moved out. At first, he refused because he had to keep his daughter in mind, but he was never cold. He took you in and raised you as his own. I guess pretending to be your dad made things easier.”

“He did not pretend,” Neji spoke, “he was and still is my father,” it was quiet but firm.

It visibly hurt Hizashi to hear this, but he nodded in understanding.

“What did you do to get their mother killed?” Neji finally asked.

“I remember displeasing Orochimaru once. He told me to do something that I couldn’t…”

“What was it?” Neji wanted to know if it was worth their mother’s life.

Hizashi lowered his gaze to the toy that Neji still held miraculously, “He told me to make an example of this young girl. She disobeyed me then him, and he told me that she couldn’t get away with it. In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to kill her. He said my disobedience wouldn’t go unpunished, and for so many days nothing happened,” he looked close to tears, “nothing happened to me. He didn’t hurt me,” he rested his eyes into his hand, “nothing happened to me,” he whispered. Nothing happened to him, but the act did not in fact go unpunished. The girls’ mother paid the price for something she knew nothing of all because Hizashi could not bring himself to kill a stranger to save his own skin.

“What about Grandfather? Why was he killed? You called for him the day that he died. Was it to warn him? Was it really your brother’s fault?” Neji asked. He remembered Hidan’s words regarding the incident. He blamed it on Hiashi’s notifying police. It seemed like a cruel punishment considering that the police would have done nothing anyway. Still, it was a sign that Hiashi would try anything to put an end to their set up, so that simple phone call to the police went punished as well.

“I only called him to tell him that it would all be over soon,” Hizashi said as he tried to calm himself from the rush of emotion, “I thought it would be over because we had the ANBU on our side finally.”

Neji sat stunned. Hiashi’s phone call for help resulted in the death of his own father. Neji saw Hiashi sitting numbly at his desk at home. He was especially distraught. It was a different grieving from what he had expressed over his wife. The difference is that there was true guilt behind the death of his father. He had been a direct cause even if none of it would have happened if Hizashi had stayed out of trouble, but even that was hardly Hizashi’s fault. Neji didn’t know who to blame. No matter how far back he traced, the lines only overlapped. He pitied Hizashi but wished that it had been him instead of their mother. Neji only rolled his eyes shut from it all before standing to leave the man alone on the kitchen floor.

Neji sat on the living area couch as he thought over everything. He was confused. His hatred had been so clear before, but after finally listening and walking in the man’s footsteps himself, he didn’t know where to pin everything he had faced leading up to then. His grandfather?

He listened as the door handle turned and opened slowly. He heard Hizashi’s hesitance to step out, but nevertheless, the man left the boy alone at long last after throwing the boy for a loop. Neji does not look to him as he leaves. He keeps his eyes closed until he hears the door ease shut. He opened his eyes to find his reflection staring right back at him through the television screen. He watched himself before the color of the action figure caught his attention in the corner of his eye. He looked to the superhero that stood proudly on the coffee table. Its paint was chipped, and it was scratched up with a number of teeth marks. Neji watched it before lifting it gently. He studied it and ran his fingers over the dents and imperfections caused by him years ago before lowering it to his lap. He leaned his head back, shut his eyes and let out a long sigh.

. . .

Neji heard laughing before the door opened revealing two Nara who stepped inside having enjoyed their time together.

Shikamaru entered with his father and came to a stop once he found Neji lying on the couch with an abused action figure lying on his chest, “Neji?”

“You okay, boy?” Shikaku asked.

Neji sat up and tossed the figure onto the table with a nod.

“Where’d you get that?” Shikamaru asked.

Shikaku approached it, “No way,” he said before he lifted it. He twirled it in his fingers, “Hizashi was here, wasn’t he?”

Neji nodded.

“You okay?” The younger Nara asked more seriously.

“He came and told me many things,” Neji said, looking to the toy that Shikaku observed.

The man then looked to Neji wondering just what the man had told him out of everything they had been through, “he told you things?”

Neji nodded, “everything,” he answered before looking to the man, “he told me about the attic, you, his dad, and everything beyond that.”

Shikaku nodded before dropping his gaze to the toy, “It’s not all his fault, you know?”

“I know,” Neji nearly hissed. His own mind had been pounding it into him since Hizashi left.

His bite took the two others off guard. There was an awkward silence between them all before Shikamaru broke it, “they should be here in a few hours.”

“Yes,” Neji stood.

“They’re bringing my mom, too.”

“That is good,” the Hyuga said.

“Yoshino? Oh, boy. I know this doesn’t matter right now, but is she seeing anyone?” He asked, keeping his voice low.

Oddly, the question seemed to anger the boy more than it should have.

“Sorry,” his father apologized, leaning away to give the boy room to simmer.

“It’s not you. She was seeing someone. He was killed by our coworkers,” he put lightly, “he was cool, but he was using mom to cheat on his girlfriend for years. Mom didn’t care she just wanted one thing from him anyway and it wasn’t money,” he said, scratching the back of his neck, “Asuma,” Shikamaru said, looking to Neji who understood, “his girlfriend is actually pregnant now, so that sucks. Aside from the whole cheating thing, he was nice to have around,” he dropped his hand into his pocket and looked to the curtains.

Neji could tell that Shikaku knew how to read his son better than anyone else. The man wrapped his arm around his son and pat his back firmly, “I’m sorry. We’ll get ‘em, though. Won’t be long before their asses are serving a life sentence.”

Shikamaru offered a slight smile as his father’s pats shook him.

“Alright, well, I’ll leave you guys,” he yawned.

“And I thought my sleeping habits were bad.”

“They probably are,” the man chuckled, “see you later. Neji I hope your family makes it with no complications. As for Yoshino,” he paused, “they can toss her from the window.”

“Dad,” Shikamaru shook his head.

Shikaku let out a hearty laugh before making his way through the door on his way to the bar most likely regardless of his insinuation of a much-needed nap. Once the door shut, Shikamaru fell onto the couch and looked to Neji, “so he came earlier, what happened?”

“I yelled, strangled him, then he told me of his past,” the Hyuga answered from where he stood on the other side of the coffee table.

“Yeah?”

“Turns out, he has known your father since they were kids. They were neighbors.”

Shikamaru raised his brows in interest.

“Hizashi was neglected and isolated for years which is why he is the way he is.”

“Damn,” the Nara whispered, “Well?”

Neji waited for him to continue, “What?”

“You still hate him, don’t you?”

“I wish it was him as opposed to my mother that answered for his crimes.”

“Makes sense.”

A silence passed where the ruckus from the streets, again, filled the small space as the two thought.

“My dad told me stuff too about his home life,” Shikamaru said.

Neji loosened the fold of his arms and looked over his shoulder. He looked to an unenthusiastic Shikamaru Nara before walking towards the couch, taking a seat right next to the boy. He forced his anger to the side enough to listen.

“His parents were in some arranged marriage and hated each other’s guts. He would sneak out a lot and do stupid shit like meet high school dropouts and all that. Apparently, he had a girlfriend. She got pregnant by accident and Dad liked her a lot, so he wanted the kid, so did she. He told his parents, and they were furious, they told him to have her kill it over and over. They said they wouldn’t help with it, and my dad didn’t have a penny to his name. It was pretty much the same story with the girl, so she got rid of it. They told Dad to break up with her, so he did. He’s been pissed with his folks ever since. They denied him just about anything he wanted to do or be and did nothing but argue and take their irritation out on him by not letting him have anything or punishing him for the smallest things, so he would just leave the house on and off until Hizashi came along. I think he said he would hide Hizashi a lot and pretend that Hizashi would visit on and off when really, he never left the house. One night, I think they might’ve found out and they kicked them out which is where everything started.” It was amazing how much the two figured out by simply having the chance to speak to their fathers.

“I see,” Neji said, looking to his lap,

“Man, our families have some messed up parents, huh?” The Nara chuckled, “if either of us ever have kids one day, we gotta break the cycle.”

“Kids?” Neji furrowed his brows.

“I don’t think I’ll have kids. They’re a real drag to have to keep up with.”

“You have experience?”

“When I worked at Choji’s parents’ place, there would be customers with kids, and they were troublesome half the time.”

“You are going off of such a limited experience,” Neji said.

Shikamaru shrugged, “It was enough for me.”

Neji just barely smiled as the silence picked up between them. It was close to evening. The many colors of the sunset had long cooled to a grey-blue that cooled Earth Country even more.

“So, something’s been bothering me all day,” Shikamaru said.

“What is it?”

“Have you been with anyone besides me?”

“What do you mean?” Neji looked to the boy who seemed to be avoiding his eyes at all costs.

“Like sleeping with anyone.”

The question was odd considering the limited chances that the Hyuga has had to even reach out to anyone beyond him, “No.”

Shikamaru nodded slightly in understanding, “How do you feel?”

The questions were strangely vague, “Shikamaru what is it?”

“Well, my dick feels weird and I’m trying to figure out if you gave me something or not. It’s freaking me out.”

Neji wanted the Nara to be clearer but the bluntness had been unexpected considering the matter, “What? No, I have only ever been with you.”

“Okay,” Shikamaru sighed.

“I swear.”

“I believe you.”

“It feels weird how?” Neji asked.

Shikamaru shrugged, “you know.”

“I do not,” even though Neji had only been with Shikamaru, he began to share the boy’s nervousness, “have you been with anyone else?”

“Nope.”

“Then what…”

. . .

Shikaku looked from one boy to the other over his hotel room’s counter.

The two, being stuck with only each other’s young, unknowing, imaginable minds ended up scaring the other until they took desperate measures and went to the Nara’s father for answers.


	77. Chapter 77

Shikaku continued to suck on a rootbeer lollipop that he had gotten from the bottom floor’s convenience store, “you said you don’t have sex?”

“I had sex with this girl years ago,” Shikamaru answered before looking to Neji, “Temari.”

“Well,” the man removed the candy from his mouth, “some stuff does show up years later.”

The two froze. Neji looked to Shikamaru who sat stiffly. The figured that the time without symptoms meant they were in the clear.

“Was she seeing someone else?” Neji asked.

“Not that I know of,” the boy nearly stuttered.

“Not that you know of?” Neji repeated, “Not that you know of?” He echoed in a different tone.

“Alright now, calm down, calm down,” Shikaku said, “It could be something else.” He was calm with everything he said, “Shikamaru.”

Said boy looked up to his father, desperate for anything else.

“Did you have protected sex?” The man asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, there you go. The chances of it to be an infection slimmed so much that we can start looking at other reasons. How’s your diet?”

“It could be better,” Shikamaru mumbled, still a bit on edge.

“How’s your hygiene?”

“Fine,” the boy’s eye twitched.

“Ever had a UTI?” His father asked.

“No,” Shikamaru seemed to shrink more and more into himself with each question. The two were having the talk much later than the average father and son simply because of the man’s absence.

“I could look at it if you want.”

Shikamaru stood, “I’ll just tough it out,” he said before rising from his seat.

“Shikamaru,” his father called.

The boy stood at the door and turned to face the man. Shikamaru was now red in the face and could not even stand to look at the man let alone talk about such things openly especially with the Hyuga in the room.

“Are you telling me everything?” Shikaku asked.

Shikamaru only dropped his dishonest eyes. Neji looked away from the man who was no fool by any means.

“I can’t help you unless you tell me everything I need to know.”

. . .

Neji was mortified to the point of feeling like fainting.

“Yeah…” Shikamaru confirmed.

Shikaku looked between the two, “for how long?”

Neither boy answered straight away. Just getting that much out had been enough to make them choke on air.

Shikaku raised a brow and crossed his arms, “I need to know, so I can give you a guess on what’s going on with your junk, boy.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes shut and spoke in a rush, “we used protection every time.”

“Every time? So, it wasn’t just a one-time thing between you two,” the man realized aloud.

Neji began to feel lightheaded.

“Has the condom ever broken?” Shikaku asked.

“No,” his son answered.

“Ever done unprotected oral?”

“No!” Shikamaru dropped his head into his hands.

“Well, then why do you think you’ve got problems down there now?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m here.”

“Well, what does it feel like?”

“Like,” Shikamaru leaned back against the couch harshly. He exhaled impatiently, “it just,” he looked around the room, his cheeks now tainted red, “just uncomfortable.”

“Elaborate, boy.”

“It just itches, gods,” Shikamaru kept his eyes from the other two.

“Neji?” Shikaku began.

Neji tensed under his attention but did not return his stare.

“You having the same issues?”

“No, sir,” the Hyuga answered.

“Well, then what the fuck did you do to yourself, Shikamaru?”

“Dad, seriously, I don’t know. It just came out of no where yesterday,” his tone was jerky.

“Okay, well is it the fabric of your underpants? I don’t know what else could be giving you issues unless you got something transferred.”

Shikamaru covered his face.

“Gods, now you got an STI and we aren’t in the position to just run out for a checkup. You better pray that shit doesn’t grow while we’re here. I just got back to you. You can’t just up and die out of nowhere,” Shikaku worsened the younger Nara’s nerves.

Shikamaru groaned worriedly into his hands.

“What the hell else could it – oh, wait. Did you use the hotel soap?” Shikaku paused.

Both boys paused for a moment before their gazes traced back to the man gradually.

“Yeah, that stuff is drying. It’ll leave you looking like a damn reptile,” Shikaku chuckled, “you probably just have a skin condition because of it, you’re good.” His reaction to the predicament had drastically changed having remembered the fact. The boys began to calm after being offered a new way to view the possible situation, “you said it itches. Does it burn?”

Shikamaru hesitantly nodded.

“There you go, a simple skin condition. Just wait for it to clear up and you’ll be able to use it again,” the man said before biting the lollipop.

The two stared to the man peculiarly. Neither of them muttered a word or sound before looking to one another.

“Well, how long have you two been at it?” Shikaku asked.

“Dad, I’m not talking about this anymore.”

“Sorry, I know. I just figured it ever since I saw you two.”

They looked to the man in surprise.

“I remember talking to Yoshino over the phone about child support since you were living with me now and visits and stuff like that. Eventually, it turned into casual conversation. She told me about this boy that you seemed to talk about a lot which surprised me,” Shikaku said.

Shikamaru lowered his head. He had never talked to the man about his sexual orientation and how it never seemed to just stick to one thing. Because it was so nondiscriminatory, the Nara simply never brought it up. It was what it was, and it was fluid, confusing even. It became tiresome. With the man gone around the clock, there was no time or really opportunity to open up, so he simply kept quiet.

“It surprised me because I never imagined our son falling head over heels for anybody’s kid. So, I just waited for Shikamaru to bring it up, but he never did, so I figured either Yoshino read you wrong, or it was a brief crush, so I never really brought it up,” Shikaku finished.

His reaction to it was better than the boy had expected. He found peace before looking back up to his father who watched Neji.

“Is this him?” Shikaku asked, nodding a head to the Hyuga, “nice fishing, boy.”

Neji looked away, “thank you,” he mumbled.

Shikaku laughed as he pat both boys on the head before placing either hand on their shoulders, “crazy how you two of all people fell into this mess.”

“Yeah, well,” Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

“Once we get out of this mess, I’ll get a regular job. You guys can do teen stuff like go to diners and drive-ins.”

“People don’t do drive-ins anymore,” Shikamaru said under his breath. His cheeks were tinted all over again.

“Just tossing ideas out there,” he said giving his son’s arm a hard squeeze before looking to Neji, “he’s weird, isn’t he?”

Neji stiffened at being addressed.

“Dad,” Shikamaru complained.

“Does your old man know?” Shikaku asked.

“Which one?” Neji honestly asked.

“Hizashi, Hiashi, whoever.”

“No, neither know about it. Well,” he shut his eyes, “Hiashi knows about…”

“The sex?”

Neji backed out of his hand uncomfortably.

“Sorry,” Shikaku said.

“Gods, Dad.”

“Sorry! So, are you together or not?” The man asked.

“Dad.”

“Are you?”

There was a knock at the door which stopped the man’s attempts in learning more about his son and everything that had went on in his absence. Shikaku stepped away from the two that had started shifting uneasily before answering the door, “Hizashi.”

Neji’s eyes shot to the door as Shikamaru’s shot to Neji.

“Hey,” Shikaku greeted before Hizashi let himself in. Shikaku closed the door finishing what he was going to say, “there…”

Hizashi turned to face the man, “he hates me. Gods, he hates me.”

“Hizashi…”

“He wants me dead; I can feel it in my bones.”

“Listen…”

“Why am I here, Shikaku?!”

“What?”

“All that time in the attic, on the run, ruining lives, why am I here? I’ve done nothing but live up to what Dad used to always say; I’m evil!” He exclaimed through a gasp as his motions slowed as if the realization hit him heavily. His eyes rounded widely.

“Look, calm down, okay? You’re not evil. The only evil person is your dad, Orochimaru too.”

“He’s dead!”

“What?” Shikaku asked.

“Dad’s dead because of me! My nieces’ mother is dead because of me, Neji’s life is ruined because of me, Shikaku, why am I here?!”

Shikaku gripped the man’s shoulders, “calm the hell down, half of that shit isn’t even your fault, now be quiet we aren’t the only ones here.”

Hizashi didn’t seem to have heard him, “You ran away because of me. Hiashi got in trouble because of me.”

“Hizashi, calm down damn it! Your kid’s here, mine too!”

Hizashi froze, “What?” He whispered before pulling away from the Nara and looking around to spot the two teens watching them in shock.

“See? Gods,” Shikaku shook his head.

“Neji?” Hizashi breathed.

“They were just visiting,” Shikaku explained, “please calm down.”

“No, I’ll leave, I’m sorry,” it was the first time Hizashi insisted that he keep his distance without being told. He pat the other’s shoulder numbly before ridding the room of himself without another word.

“Shit,” Shikamaru commented.

“Be nice,” Shikaku ordered before sighing, placing his hands against his hips as if he had gotten rid of a heavy load, “I care about the guy a lot, you know? He can just be kinda off his rocker sometimes and that’s all I’m gonna say.”

Shikamaru nodded.

Neji only stared to the door with a mild look of irritation.

“Okay, well,” Shikaku rolled his shoulders, cracking a few bones causing Neji to grimace, “you guys can stay as long as you want. I’m gonna take a nap,” the man said before swaying towards his room, shutting the door behind him.

. . .

It was now night as the two waited for Neji’s family to arrive. They watched the television in the dark to pass the time. Oddly enough, a cooking channel had caught their attention since it was something that they could both agree on after Shikamaru grew bored of documentaries and Neji shook his head to action. They watched the woman give tips on how to achieve a fluffy cake and keep it from hardening.

“I’d try that,” Shikamaru said.

“Really?” Neji asked from where he lied his head against a pillow that sat on the Nara’s lap.

“You wouldn’t?”

“I could.”

“Do you cook?” Shikamaru asked.

“Enough,” Neji answered.

“Bake?”

“No.”

Shikamaru looked down to the Hyuga and brushed Neji’s hair from his face and behind his ear.

The Hyuga hummed tiredly at the feeling.

The Nara looked back to the screen as he softly scratched the male’s scalp that made Neji’s eyes drift shut.

“You need to be awake when they’re here,” Shikamaru said.

Neji sat up and stretched, “Well, you do not have to wait,” he stood and made his way to the kitchen.

Shikamaru watched him turn the light on that poured in from the cooking area and just slightly lit up the black room, “I’m good,” the Nara assured.

Neji reentered, dragging his feet with a bowl of grapes in hand. He offered the bowl to Shikamaru who took a handful and watched as the woman on screen sauteed vegetables.

“What is she making now?” Neji asked. He was tired, Shikamaru could tell from his voice that almost came out as a muffle.

“I don’t know, I was watching you get grapes.”

“Mh,” Neji then lied his head back down against the boy’s lap before shutting his eyes.

“You not gonna eat the grapes?”

“I heard your stomach when I was laying down.”

“These are for me?”

He felt Neji nod against his lap.

Shikamaru smiled, letting a humorous breath through his nose, “I’ll take it.”

“You are welcome,” Neji said, turning his face towards the Nara’s stomach.

“Thanks,” Shikamaru corrected, “you cold?” He looked over the male and saw how he had curled up and folded his arms against his chest.

“M’ fine,” Neji half answered. If he were to get too warm, he knew he would fall asleep for good.

“Watching you fight sleep is depressing. Just sleep, I’ll wake you up if they come.”

“Are you not tired?”

“When I went out with my dad, we napped then watched TV. I’m good.”

“Mh, okay,” Neji surrendered before allowing himself to succumb to sleep.

Shikamaru looked up to the screen to find olives sitting in a jar. He let out a faint grunt in disgust.

The Hyuga furrowed his brows at the sudden stir, “Nara,” Neji said softly.

“Sorry.”

. . .

Shikamaru watched as the man on screen emerged from a plane crash with blood trailing down his face. The Nara looked to the smoking plane before eyeing the door wondering if the Hyuga’s family had landed yet. Some hours had passed and Neji was fast asleep. Still, Shikamaru was careful not to wake him because, no matter how worn the male was, he was a light sleeper, so the screen was muted. Shikamaru watched the subtitles as the third movie played out. Still, they should have been there nearly an hour ago.

. . .

Neji woke up with hair caught in his mouth and covering his eyes. He sat up and brushed it from his line of focus before rubbing the drool from the corner of his mouth in disgust. He looked around to spot Shikamaru speaking to someone on the other side of the door. Neji noticed the brightness of the room. It was morning. He stood and walked towards the Nara who shut the door once the conversation concluded. Shikamaru lowered his head before facing the Hyuga.

Neji stared to the boy groggily. The Hyuga furrowed his brows at the boy’s motions, “What happened?”

“There was a complication.”

“Complication?” Neji was quickly wakening.

“With the flight.”

“The flight,” Neji repeated as if trying to wrap his head around it.

Shikamaru nodded, “they didn’t show to their flight, and they can’t find them,” he took in a deep breath, “anywhere.”

Neji widened his eyes, “what?” His voice was a whisper as he walked to the door.

“They’re trying to track them down now. They have men out there trying to crack find your family.”

Neji stopped at the door knowing there was nothing he could do alone. He simply dropped his hand before resting his head against the door. He then turned and walked past the Nara and into the bedroom.

Shikamaru supposed he could have told the male to sit down for the news. He followed the Hyuga into the darkened room to find him sitting much like he did upon their arrival. He was scared again. Right as he began to have faith, his family had been wiped from the map. Shikamaru knew that nothing he said would do anything to ease his worry this time now that his family had finally been touched. The Nara simply stood there and idly waited for Neji to either wish to be alone or for him to ask the boy to stay.


	78. Chapter 78

It was growing dark, still, there was no sign of the girls or their father. Neji lied on the sofa and the Nara stood next to it. Shikaku sat on the ground as the three waited around silently.

Pounding came. It was no knock; it was harsh and repetitive. Shikaku stood and stared to it hesitantly before nearing the wood. He looked through the peep hole before letting out a breath and opening the door, “what is it, Hizashi?” Shikaku asked quietly. His voice still reached the boys’ ears.

“We need to go now!” Hizashi exclaimed before grabbing Shikaku’s arm.

“Woah, hold on!” Shikaku said, staying in place, “What’s the deal this time?”

“Deidara. He’s here.”

“Shit,” Shikaku cursed, “Boys, let’s go, now!” He yelled, holding the door open. Hizashi was already running towards the stairs before the teens could even get themselves to move.

“What…” Shikamaru began.

“Get up, come on, forget what that guy said! This place could blow any minute!” His father exclaimed.

Neji sat up and looked to the man through wide eyes then to Shikamaru.

“Come on!” Shikaku yelled a final time before running from the door.

. . .

The four ran down the many flights of concrete stairs. Their footsteps and quickened breaths echoed from the hard surfaces of the stairwell.

“What’s going on?” Shikamaru panted.

“There’s a guy here, works for Orochimaru, likes blowing shit up,” Shikaku answered as they ran.

Hizashi was far ahead of them. He could be heard some floors down, but he could not be seen due to his head start, “He’s a maniac! He’s willing to do whatever to clear any mission given to him!” Hizashi yelled.

“How long do we have?” Neji asked before hearing a loud boom from some floors higher. The question went unanswered as they quickened their steps until they reached the lobby where they flung the door open, stopping for no one. They ran through the lobby of panicked vacationers who could not explain what was happening for the life of them. The four fled without stopping to try to make sense of it all; they had been the cause after all.

Hizashi shot through the building’s front doors like a madman without looking back. He continued to run even once he cleared the building. The other three, however, stopped once they cleared the property. Shikaku looked down the street to find Hizashi still running for his life, “damn it, Hizashi,” he said under his breath before running after him, “come on, boys.” If Deidara was there, then there ought to be others in the area. They couldn’t get far enough. The teens ran after the man once the vacationers from within began to flee from the building. They poured out from the doors in groups at a time and started towards them which only motivated the boys to run harder. They caught up to Shikaku in no time, but Hizashi was quicker than any of them would have guessed. Shikaku tightened his jaw. He did not want to shout the man’s name in the open; it could draw too much of the wrong attention, so he could only hope for the man to tire himself. Eventually Hizashi reached a bus stop and sat on the bench underneath the stop’s roof. He brought his knees to his chest, making him look even smaller than he was before. Once the other three reached him, the man was breathing as hard as they were if not harder.

“Hizashi,” Shikaku breathed out.

Said man allowed his feet to meet the ground before he peaked his out all around, “We can’t stop.”

Shikaku bent over and bared his hands onto his knees as he caught his breath, “Then, what do we do? We can’t just keep running.”

“Yes, we can.”

“Hizashi,” Neji spoke grabbing the man’s attention, “be realistic.”

“What? I am! We are being chased by maniacs!”

“We should hide,” Shikamaru said between pants.

Hizashi eyed a white van, “We can hotwire.”

“No, Hizashi, no more,” Shikaku said as he stood, “we need to get somewhere and lay low, not create more trouble.”

Hizashi’s face fell into his hands and he began tap his foot restlessly.

“What about Hinata, Hanabi, and…” Neji trailed off before turning to spot the building that began to burn.

“I’m sorry, we’re gonna have to find them later, but we need to go,” Shikaku said.

“Go where?!” A loud voice yelled from afar. It grabbed each of their attention. Upon seeing him, Neji immediately recognized him as the man who stood outside of the school as it went up in flames.

“Deidara,” Shikaku whispered in shock before kick staring into a run, “come on,” he said as he watched the maniac run towards them empty handed, but he knew the man better than that. Deidara was far from empty handed, “Come on!” Shikaku shouted before running along side the other three as quickly as he could.

“You’ll get tired eventually!” The blond terrorist called after them.

He was right; cardio was not the Naras’ fortes. They tired more quickly than the Hyugas it seemed as they began to fall slightly behind.

“Shikaku!” Hizashi yelled.

“Not everyone can run like you!” Shikaku yelled back before looking over his shoulder to find Deidara even closer than he was before. He was faster than all of them and slowly but surely began to close in. He was sure this would be it. Shikaku tried to think of a way out of this, but he could hardly think when all his blood rushed too quickly through his brain as long as his legs were his primary function.

Neji watched a car as it sped down the road. It was going at least twenty over the speed limit which told the Hyuga that it was no ordinary by stander. Just as he suspected, the car turned enough to hop the curb right before the driver jumped from the car door allowing the car to collide with Deidara who had been too focused on his targets to see the car that shot right towards him. He was hit and dragged a short distance before an explosion destroyed both him and the car that had hit him. He had been hiding a bomb that he intended to use against the four who now stared to the scene in shock and horror. Deidara never intended to come out alive if he kept the bomb latched onto himself. He expected to die, but he went out alone without having completed whatever his mission had been.

Neji looked back to the street to find Itachi trying his best to rise, but each time he placed his weight onto his hand, he fell back to the gravel.

By passers no longer simply passed them. There were countless strangers dialing numbers and taking photos or videos as they stared in shock. Others ran to safety especially after the incident at the hotel that was still visible from where they had witnessed the explosive car crash.

“Itachi?” Neji asked as he rushed to the man’s side. He was followed by Shikamaru and they both helped the man rise to his feet.

“Come back! He’s one of them!” Shikaku shouted.

“He has saved us countless times,” Neji explained as they aided the Uchiha to the roadside, “he hid us and took us far from danger. He just saved us,” Neji said as he looked to the flames that raged through the car’s scorched windows.

Shikaku and Hizashi watched Itachi unsure of what to think. They remained silent as the flames roared in the parking lot where the crash had blown.

“His arm,” Shikamaru said, “It’s broken.”

“Forget it. I got a call from Hiashi yesterday. He said that they were ran from the road on the way to the airport. They’re okay, but the driver didn’t make it. I was out of town on the way here. I told Izumi to get them. They should be on their way here now,” he grunted in pain as blood from a harsh scrape threatened to trickle into his eye, “I left Sasuke in our hotel room. The key card is in my pocket. Get it, get to him. Hide there.”

“What about you?” Neji asked.

“I’ll be fine, just get to Sasuke. Hurry before they send someone after Deidara.”

. . .

The group reached the hotel room’s door. Hizashi slid the key card in and opened the door.

“Itachi?” Sasuke called as he looked up from one of the room’s two beds. What he saw confused him. He would have grown cold if he did not see the two familiar faces amongst the other, older ones, “Neji?”

“Your brother will be back,” Neji said.

“He got hurt trying to save us, but he’ll be okay,” Shikamaru added.

“Hurt?”

“Are we sure we can be here?” Shikaku mumbled.

“I know him. We all went to school together,” Neji said.

Shikaku seemed to settle for it and asked no further questions.

“Where is he?” Sasuke questioned now worried having been given a vague explanation.

“Probably an ambulance. He scraped his head and broke his arm,” Shikamaru put simply.

Neji looked to the Nara.

“Might as well be honest, no point in lying,” the boy said without sparing the Hyuga a glance.

“Where is Izumi?” Neji asked next.

“She’s,” Sasuke stared to the ground before shaking his head of the news, “still in Fire Country, I think. She has your family. I don’t know where she’s taking them though. She might be headed here.”

Neji felt just a bit calmer at the news, still he was nowhere near confident in their safety.

“Who are you?” Sasuke asked the men who had yet to speak to him.

Hizashi stiffened.

“Our dads,” Shikamaru answered for them to keep Hizashi from saying something regrettable.

Sasuke raised a brow to Hizashi who could not hold his eye contact.

“What happened to…” Neji began before watching a certain tall, long-haired boy emerge from the restroom, “Haku.”

“Haku?” Shikamaru echoed.

Haku faced them silently before glancing to the men that followed them in. 

“Are you okay?” Neji asked.

Haku nodded, “are you?”

The verbal response was hardly audible, still, surprised the two, “Yes,” Neji answered, nevertheless.

“Why are you here?” Haku asked.

Again, his voice caught the two off-guard. They looked to one another before Shikamaru answered for the both of them, “we’re hiding.”

Haku opened his mouth to say something before closing. He lowered his head, “we are too.”

“We came here looking for the ANBU. Itachi didn’t want to risk a phone call and heard that the ANBU were here through some Akatsuki members only because one of them was sent to kill you guys,” Sasuke explained, “he figured that we would be safest there with them, but it seems like we were wrong if you’re all running from the ‘haven’,” he said, crossing his arms.

What he said diminished every bit of hope any of them had of their case.

“So, what now?” Sasuke asked.

“We wait for the ANBU to figure this whole thing out,” Shikamaru said, “if they ever do.”

“Do they know that Orochimaru is no longer leading the Akatsuki?” Neji asked.

“What?” Their fathers said in unison.

“His right-hand man killed him and took over. Hidan told me that it was Kabuto’s work the guy was selling, so it’s not too surprising,” Shikamaru said, “well it was in the moment,” he commented as he remembered the sight illuminated by the dining room’s white light.

“Kabuto?” Hizashi stared in disbelief, “but, he never…”

“He was quiet, but he never seemed right to me,” Shikaku shook his head, “seems like they’re under worse management now.

Sasuke walked to a black duffle bag that sat on one of the beds and unzipped it before shaking its contents out. Out fell three guns along with some knives, “we have these. We can’t run, so we’ll have to defend ourselves until the ANBU can finish the job.”


	79. Chapter 79

Neji listened to the knock that came at the door and opened it to allow Haku back in with plates from the hotel’s breakfast diner. They sent him because, unlike the rest of them, the Akatsuki didn’t seem to be looking for the boy explicitly.

“Thanks,” Shikamaru said as he helped Haku lower the plates to the nearest surface. Once he did, he turned to tell the others that the food was there only to find Sasuke typing away on his phone, “you have a phone?”

Sasuke continued to type before the question registered. He looked up from the screen to spot the others looking right at him. The Uchiha looked over each individual before settling his attention on Shikamaru. He nodded, “Itachi said they’re relentless, but they don’t track phones; it would be too advanced for a simple gang.”

“They aren’t a simple gang. They’re a damn mafia from the underworld,” Shikaku said.

Sasuke ignored the man and turned his back to continue whatever it was he was doing on the cellular device.

“Whatever,” Shikamaru shook his head, “food’s here. Eat it or don’t.”

. . .

Days pass, days of which they would simply wait for anything further. They waited for any news, any phone call, a simple knock at the door, but nothing came, so they simply sat and waited.

“Where is he?” Sasuke finally wondered aloud, rising from his seat.

His motion woke the Nara who slept on the floor with nothing but a blanket. He rubbed his eyes, “maybe he got called in for another job,” the Nara mumbled.

“He would’ve called,” Sasuke argued quietly, impatiently.

Neji watched the Uchiha as he worried over the status of his brother with no word to lead him on. He knew how it felt entirely too well.

“If he’s done nothing to make anyone suspicious then he should be fine,” Hizashi added only to make the Uchiha wonder if their travels had been discreet enough. Hizashi watched the boy clench his fists even tighter. The man decided to bite his tongue and continue the quiet that he had been so successfully maintaining.

Three knocks.

They all stiffened but Sasuke took to it without a falter in his step.

“Sasuke,” Neji whispered warningly.

Regardless, Sasuke opened the door to reveal a hotel worker.

“Sir, your stay expired an hour ago. I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to ask you to leave.”

. . .

“Where to now?” Shikamaru asked as he pulled a single black suitcase.

“We could get a car,” Hizashi suggested as he carried the duffle bag.

“Gods,” Shikaku groaned at the man’s repetitiveness.

“The hospital,” Sasuke said, “Itachi has to be there.”

“I don’t know,” Shikamaru said.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Sasuke questioned impatiently, “it’s where he has to have been for the past three days.”

“If you were a criminal and the feds were onto your case, would you be at a hospital?” Shikamaru asked honestly.

The Uchiha seemed to have only grown more irritated before looking away, “then where else could he be?” His phone rang making Sasuke nearly tear the device from his pocket, half expecting it to be his elder brother, but another name appeared on screen. It was Naruto Uzumaki.

Shikamaru watched as the Uchiha’s features softened from its angry expression. Sasuke simply watched the name light up his screen until the call died. He allowed his arm to fall to his side as he continued up hill on the city sidewalk.

“Should we have left this stuff there?” Hizashi suggested.

Shikaku simply took the duffle bag from the scrawny man and tossed it over his own shoulder.

“Thank you,” Hizashi smiled shyly after the man picked up on the hint.

Neji felt his own brow twitch in response to the man’s child-like behavior before finding that both he and Hizashi were walking too similarly. Both held their folded arms to their chests in a remarkably similar manner with the same posture. They even had the same walk. Neji frowned, feeling his brow twitch twice more. He lowered his own arms and slowed his pace to match Shikamaru’s.

“You guys have the same walk,” the Nara said.

“Be quiet,” Neji ordered bitterly.

“He’s following us,” Haku spoke quietly.

“Who?!” Hizashi exclaimed.

Shikaku readied the bag for the case of which they would need to arm up. He looked around to spot a van going well below the speed limit. Hizashi spotted it not too much later and stepped behind Shikaku who stood readily. The van’s window then rolled down to reveal a pale man with dark blue hair and oddly sharp, jagged teeth.

“Get in,” the man ordered.

The group stared to the driver before looking to each other looking for what to do.

“Hinata, Hanabi, Hiashi, Yoshino, Zabuza,” the man listed.

Each one of them felt ice still them at the mention of at least one of the names mentioned spontaneously.

“Zabuza?” Sasuke questioned. He then looked to Haku who stared to the driver through intensely widened eyes darkened by the web of his hair.

The man then tilted his head to the back of the van giving them another chance to make the right choice.

. . .

Sasuke gagged and choked as he tried his best to breathe through the damp towel held over his face as water was poured right over the cloth. His arms, just like the others, were tied tightly behind his back enough to bruise his wrists.

“Now,” the stranger began as he pulled the boy up by his hair, “where is he?” the large, pale man questioned again.

The boy continued to cough and gasp for air, “I don’t know,” he shook his head, taking in deep breaths.

The rest watched from where they were bound as the man lowered the boy back down despite the Uchiha’s begs. They listened to his choked sobs as he was denied air for prolonged periods of time.

“He does not know,” Neji said.

Hizashi looked to him quickly and hushed him to keep the intimidating man’s attention on anything but their direction, but Neji did not listen.

“None of us know. He was injured and we did not see him after that,” Neji clarified.

The man still held Sasuke down by his hair but turned to face the Hyuga slowly. He kept the same, crooked psychotic smile that he wore even when he crept towards them in the van. He stopped pouring the water but did not release the Uchiha who continue to gag just underneath the cloth. It was the only sound that bounced from the underground cellar’s walls. It was dark and cold, but the fact that the Akatsuki even had such a place reserved for them in a foreign land showed just how expansive their operation truly was.

“If you’re lying to me, you’re making my job harder than it needs to be,” the man said, his sharp smile growing.

Sasuke grew alarmingly still underneath the cloth which white glowed brightly under the room’s only and rather narrow lighting.

“Let him go,” Neji’s order was more of a beg.

The man smiled, gripping Sasuke tighter before yanking his head and throwing him to the ground. The group stared in horror to the boy who hadn’t moved.

“Sasuke,” Neji breathed.

A buzz came from the torturer’s back pocket. He removed Sasuke’s phone from it and looked to the name, “Hm,” he smirked, “Naruto Uzumaki? Minato’s kid? You know, we ruined his credentials so badly that he couldn’t find a place in office?” He chuckled, “he must’ve found work if his kid’s got a phone,” he commented before answering the call, “hello?” The man put the phone on speaker, “would you know where I could find Itachi?”

There was a staticky pause before Naruto answered, “Sasuke?”

The man looked to Sasuke who lied soaking wet on the floor, “No, no, he’s not available right now. Do you know where Itachi is?” The gang member then lowered the phone to the floor before kneeling behind Sasuke. He turned the Uchiha over and began pounding his back roughly until the boy coughed up the water that had nearly filled his lungs.

“Sasuke?” Naruto asked, “what’s going on?”

“Well, you haven’t been much help,” the man said before ending the call.

“Kisame,” a voice came from the creaky steps.

The large, pale man named Kisame stood and looked up to whoever had addressed him, “what is it, Sasori?”

“We’ve located Itachi. Deidara was right; Itachi was talking to the ANBU,” Sasori answered, “he’s a traitor.”

That seemed to disappoint Kisame. Finally, his psychotic smile fell as his eyes dimmed. He looked down to the boy who still coughed himself back to life. Kisame stared distantly before delivering a harsh kick to the boy’s stomach. Sasuke let out a sharp yell before another landed and another. All the others could do was watch as the man took out his anger on Itachi’s brother after hearing of the news of his betrayal.

“Stop,” Neji whispered.

“You want to be next?!” Kisame yelled before rushing towards the Hyuga who lowered his head. Kisame gripped his face with a single hand and forced Neji to look right at him, “we don’t need you anymore since we’ve found Itachi,” he spat, “Sasori can have you,” he mumbled before heading up the stairs.

The group sat silently and listened to the man on the higher floor speaking to someone, but the voices were too muffled to be made out.

“Sasuke,” Neji quietly called out.

The Uchiha weakly lifted his head to look to the Hyuga. His breathing still sounded a bit strained. He lowered his head to the wet puddle beneath him to rest just a bit longer before whatever came next made its way down the steps.

They listened to light footsteps near them until a smaller man with red hair passed them and entered a door that none of them had been aware of since they reached the bunker. They listened to what sounded like metal clinking and items rattling as the man rummaged through whatever lied beyond the door.

The more Shikamaru looked, the more brown stains he found to be more red than he had first noticed. He felt his heart rise to his throat. He looked up towards the dark ceiling and squinted to spot rails with chains hanging from them. Attached to those chains were hand restraints of leather. The man had to have been their key player in torture, but he had no reason to torture them. They had nothing he wanted unless he simply enjoyed bringing agony to others to the point of needing no reason at all. Sooner than he wished, Sasori reentered the room with a metal table that moved on wheels. With each step, the items against the table rattled until it came to a stop at the same metal surface that Sasuke had been nearly drowned on. He removed the black towel from the cart and used it to dry the surface as if the water would hinder whatever he was trying to do. In removing the cloth from the cart, however, he revealed each item that sat waiting to be used against them. They were torture tools without a doubt, only none of them could identify each of them.

Sasori continued to set everything up without giving the group a sliver of attention until everything was in place. He took two steps back from the setup and observed it before looking to the group that chilled under his gaze. The man silently looked over each of them as if deciding who he would use first. Once his eyes landed on Hizashi, they lingered. Hizashi tensed immediately. As soon as Sasori took a single step towards the man, however, Hizashi fainted helplessly in the seat that kept him immobile. His head fell and he went silent. Sasori paused in his step and stared to him unsure of whether the man was fronting it or not. He approached Hizashi and grabbed his hair to pull his head back enough to observe his face. It was limp and his eyes were shut. He passed out cold. Sasori dropped his grip and looked over the rest. His eyes roamed from left to right, up and down the row of rigid faces that had broken out into a cold sweat. Shikamaru froze when he reached for Neji.

“Don’t!” The Nara exclaimed shocking his father along with himself.

Sasori froze at the sudden opposition before eyeing the boy. Shikamaru dropped his head surrenduring as the man approached him. Shikamaru’s outburst was not premeditated. All he knew is that he didn’t wish to watch Neji be tortured in front of him until he was motionless. It scared him too much. Neither did he think about exchanging places with the Hyuga, but he knew better than to argue for that too. He simply kept his eyes shut as Sasori stopped to loom right over him.


	80. Chapter 80

Shikamaru hissed in pain once Sasori removed the syringe from his neck. Neji stared through wide eyes unsure of what the man meant to do. He watched as Sasori rounded Shikamaru to loosen his restraints enough to move the boy from his seat to the table. The Nara was weaker than before, barely capable of lifting his own head. Whatever he injected into him was fast acting. Sasori supported the boy’s weight as he lied him against the cold metal before strapping his wrists and ankles to surface. Sasori stepped back to look over the boy. Nothing about it seemed odd considering his behavior up until then, but something seemed to have clicked which got him to halt for some seconds.

“Nara,” Sasori said.

All Shikamaru could do was roll his head to the side and moan in hopes of it coming out into coherent words.

Sasori neared his side before rolling up the Nara’s sleeve. He dragged his fingers up and down the vulnerable boy’s exposed arm, ignoring Shikamaru’s sluggish movements of discomfort. Sasori then rounded the table once more to reach his tools. He fished through the heap of instruments and removed a scalpel from the bunch before nearing the table.

Shikaku shook once violently shifting his chair, “don’t touch him!”

Sasori disregarded the order and hovered the blade over Shikamaru’s arm before looking over the boy. He reached up and pat his face a couple of times to wake him just so that it would be that much more enjoyable. He didn’t want his subject to be too sedated to feel every inch of metal that puncture his skin. Shikamaru’s head rolled slowly to the side as he struggled to open his eyes. The drug was meant to weaken him, not give him peace in it all. The red head stared to him patiently before using the sharp knife to cut away at his clothing to facilitate the operation. The Nara let out another sluggish groan as the cold began to catch up to him. Sasori began to remove his top and tossed it to the ground after cutting it due to the Nara’s hands being bound to the table. He looked over the boy again. His eyes traced from his face to his exposed torso and limp arms as if looking for where to begin. His eyes came to a stop at a particular scar in his right hand. It was a bullet wound. His gaze remained fixed on it for some time as he waited for the boy to wake up just a bit more.

“Sadistic bastard, haven’t you tortured him enough?” Shikaku hissed.

Sasori turned and made his way to the man quickly, gripping his hair to pull his head back. Sasori gripped the scalpel and began to drag it through the man’s scars as if he were tracing lines on a canvas. Shikaku’s grunts turned into pained breaths that bordered yells. The rest stared in horror as Sasori deepened the cut the further he went. He tore the blade from Shikaku’s face before jamming it into the scar that sat a bit lower than the first. He began the same trace but more agonizingly slow which finally worked a yell from the man who sat helplessly tied before him. Sasori listened as the leather restraints attached to the metal bed behind him squeaked signaling Shikamaru’s stronger attempts in getting free. He had regained enough strength to be fully conscious through the procedure. Sasori grew bored of Shikaku and ripped the blade from the man’s face, releasing his grip to allow the man’s head to fall as blood trickled from his renewed cuts. Still, Shikaku raised his head enough to spot the red head obscuring his view of his son who moved against the surface bathed in the room’s spot light, “no,” he whispered as warm red streaked his face.

Sasori kept his eyes on Shikamaru’s expression as he stuck the blade through the boy’s skin. He earned a hitched breath that turned into a brief yell until the Nara clenched his teeth together. Sasori’s lids became heavy as if it brought him a warm, easy feeling. He then dragged the instrument down the boy’s arm and stopped before the wrist. He watched as Shikamaru caught his breath and let out vocalized pants. His hand shook, now red from the restraints cutting blood flow.

“What is…” Hizashi began quietly catching the other prisoners’ attention. The man stared into the depths of the room’s darkness. A certain corner seemed to have caught his eye. The others’ eyes shot in its direction. There was another figure there, tall and fairly wide.

“A doll,” Sasori answered as he repeated the same slow, painful motion down the Nara’s other arm getting the boy to squirm and shout even more.

“Shikamaru!” Shikaku cried through red-blurred eyes.

Neji kept his eyes on the figure in the corner, incapable of watching the scene, but the longer he stared, the more he recognized it, “Kakuzu?”

“He betrayed us, so they gave him to me,” Sasori explained, keeping his eyes on the boy’s pained expression that brought him peace, “he was the reason behind one of our laborers gaining access to a phone.” So, Asuma had used Kakuzu’s phone to dial the man who attempted to save him all those nights ago.

“Is he…” Neji quieted.

“A doll,” the red head finished.

“What?” Neji whispered.

“A doll.”

As though the sentence enhanced the figure’s features, Neji’s eyes focused on Kakuzu and Kakuzu alone. He stood still, but he did not stand alone. He was kept upright by some sort of stand and seemed to have been dismembered but oddly stitched together. His limbs were not properly stuck to the rest of his body, but from afar, anyone could be fooled. Neji grew lightheaded as his stomach twisted at the realization that he would do the same to them. He shook in his restraints trying to keep from tossing anything up right then and there as Shikamaru’s yells grew. They grated Neji’s nerves which only worsened at the sound of Sasuke knocking over the tray accidentally in an attempt to rise from where Kisame had left him. Sasori’s attention shot to the boy as he twirled the blade in his fingers. He walked towards the Uchiha who fell against the ground all over again. Raising the scalpel, Sasori bent over to blindly cut the Uchiha across the face when a sharp crack froze him in place until he fell against Sasuke, landing in the boy’s lap, dragging red down his shirt. Sasori had been shot from behind and bled against the Uchiha who was too stunned to shift.

Soon, they each heard loud footsteps rushing towards them, freeing them from their ties. The newcomers, plentiful in number, aided in getting the group from the chairs and to a higher floor, past the men that bled on the floor, one of which being Kisame who had owned every one of their lives only minutes ago. Once they exited the run-down factory, they spotted Itachi standing outside of one of the tens of vehicles. He wore a cast and patches that covered the scrapes he had endured against the road’s pavement. Sasuke stared to Itachi, unsure of whether it was him or not. His knees nearly went limp before he ran for his elder brother coming close to closing him in a suffocating embrace before slowing to spot the cast. The younger then wrapped a single arm around the man and buried his face in his shoulder. Itachi placed his good hand on the boy’s back and stood there letting his brother know that he was in fact there. He was alive and well enough to continue to stay by his side.

. . .

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would they say they needed to find our dads just to continue their work?” Shikamaru asked as they sat waiting.

“They no longer care for working with the Akatsuki. Right now, they more so work for us rather than with us,” Itachi said.

“I get that, but why lie?” The Nara pressed on.

“My only guess is that they really wanted to reach Hizashi for vengeance after killing a Sarutobi,” Itachi answered, “the only reason they lied to you is so you two could lead them to Hizashi so they could kill him themselves. Nothing adds up unless it was for personal reasons because the hits evened out after the Sarutobi killed one of our men.”

“But then the Uchiha jailed the person who killed the Uchiha which violated your agreement and unevened it all over again,” Shikamaru countered.

Itachi frowned as he studied the floor of the office building.

“Sarutobi?” Hizashi asked, “I never killed a Sarutobi.”

They each looked to the man who just now chimed into the discussion.

“I never killed… _anybody_!”

“I was told that you ran and killed a Sarutobi in the midst of it all,” Itachi said.

“No!” Hizashi denied as he shook his head frantically, “why would I do that? I couldn’t even kill a stranger to save my sister-in-law,” his voice went quiet as he lowered his head.

Neji frowned and looked away at the mentioning of the woman.

“Then, who killed the Sarutobi?” Shikamaru asked.

“And why were they after me?” Shikaku asked not being able to find where he came into all of it.

“All I know is that Orochimaru was aware of your closeness, so he figured that you ran with him,” Itachi said, “which could have meant that you played a part in the murder that could have threatened Orochimaru’s operation and relation to the Senju hence the reason why the Akatsuki is after the both of you as well as the Senju.”

Shikaku sighed as he leaned forward in his seat. The bandages on his face felt tight against his skin as he bared his elbows against his knees, “I was on a long trucking trip. I stopped at this place for gas and went into this shop for an energy drink. The guy at the register was distracted by something on this TV behind him. I tried to get his attention but ended up watching some of the movie myself. There was this police force that was above anything else that brought some people safety when the cops didn’t. It was crazy how similar it was to my situation, so when I left the movie replayed in the back of my head asking me how realistic the film was. I think the movie was the main reason I reached out to the ANBU for help on a whim. I was exhausted physically; I was exhausted from it all to tell you the truth. I was just mindlessly following orders that didn’t sit right, but I couldn’t say anything, so I got the ANBU on the phone and sometime later they escorted me to somewhere safe. It was safe for a while, long enough for me to get comfortable. I reached out again and told them about my son and how he’s no safer than I was, so they tried to find you, but you were elsewhere they said.”

“I was in hiding with Itachi,” Shikamaru said.

Shikaku looked from his son to the Uchiha, “yeah,” he said, “thanks for protecting my boy,” he finally came to terms with the man truly being on their side.

Itachi gave a single nod before they heard heels sharply clicking through the hall, making towards them. A female worker approached the group with a rather serious demeanor that had to serve her well in her position, “Sasuke Uchiha?”

. . .

They were each questioned individually. Haku was last and they each waited for the boy to return as they sat in the same waiting room they’ve been in for hours. Anyone would have thought that a building like it would have more rooms reserved for questioning. 

“So, did anyone kill a Sarutobi, or was it all a lie?” Shikaku asked finally.

Itachi looked to Sasuke, “Obito told me he had arrested a Sarutobi after she shot an officer. He said that she was emotional, so someone must have truly died.”

Sasuke grew nervous at the news, “who was shot?”

“He was not an Uchiha turns out, but he still worked with us. He was one of the very few true policemen that remained oblivious of its corruption. He was close to being fired when the shooting occurred,” Itachi said.

That seemed to calm the boy enough to lower himself back into his seat. He looked to the tile that he’s been staring at hour after hour.

“If her reaction says anything, then someone killed a Sarutobi,” Shikamaru reminded them, “someone could’ve framed you,” he realized aloud as his eyes drifted to Hizashi.

The elder Nara and Hyuga began to mentally retrace everything that they had done over the years as long as they’ve been in servitude to the Akatsuki. Hizashi looked to Shikaku who meditated on it even longer, “Hizashi.”

Said man gave him his undivided attention.

“Did you piss anyone off while I was gone?” Shikaku searched him for secrets.

“No,” Hizashi shook his head, “I did my job without crossing anyone.”

“Until you ran,” the younger Nara reminded, “but Orochimaru had to be smarter than to frame you for the murder; it would’ve caused the other party to distrust him.”

“So, it couldn’t have been Orochimaru, but what about the other Akatsuki members?” Shikaku asked.

“Kabuto,” Neji said.

“He seems like he could be a factor in this mess, but why would he frame Hizashi if it meant his entire organization being challenged?” Shikamaru questioned, grabbing a candy from a bowl that sat on a glass, accent table.

They all thought over it, hoping any one of them would somehow gather the scraps that they hadn’t made sense of at all.

“He had to have hated Orochimaru. He made it clear just by killing him the way he did,” Neji thought aloud.

“Yeah, he hated Orochimaru, but he wanted his business. He was the brains behind the drug, so he had to have known better than to throw it all under the bus by making it seem like one of his men killed someone from the ally’s side,” Shikamaru argued respectfully.

“Could it have been someone else?” Sasuke asked.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Shikamaru sighed and sat back in his seat.

“If Hizashi killing that Sarutobi meant the downfall of the Akatsuki, then maybe someone else who already hated the Akatsuki planned it out,” Shikaku tried.

His son’s eyes widened as his head slowly rose from the back of the seat, “The Senju said they were fighting the Akatsuki for their ground in the alliance!”

Neji looked to the boy, “the Senju said that the Akatsuki began taking over as opposed to carrying out a proper partnership.”

“Someone from the Senju or Sarutobi had to have framed you,” Shikamaru said, looking to Hizashi whose eyes flickered between each boy.

“Why?” Hizashi asked.

Shikaku took it upon himself to be the one to explain another time, “they wanted a reason to spark a war, so they made it seem like the Akatsuki, you, killed one of their men, the Sarutobi, meaning their bond could no longer be trusted. At least, that was the guise they hid behind just to start a fight with our boss who is,” he looked to the boys, “dead according to them.”

“I explained Orochimaru’s death and the explosion to the one who questioned us,” Neji said.

“Yeah, me too,” Shikamaru added.

They heard a pair of steps emerge from around the corner. There stood the agent along with Haku who they were sure was of no help considering his place in the matter.

“Great, so the Senju told a lie just to have a reason to point their guns to the Akatsuki,” Shikamaru nodded, “makes sense.”

“If our assumptions are right,” Shikaku reminded.

“It is very possible,” Itachi added.

“What do we do?” Sasuke asked.

“We wait for the ANBU to make sense of the stories we told them so they can get to Kabuto and break up the Akatsuki, then they’ll work on the Senju once the gang thinks its on top of the world at their rival’s disbanding,” the Nara answered.

“Does anyone have any reason to come after us?” Haku asked quietly as he sat next to Itachi.

Each time the two heard his voice, it was an even bigger shock than before.

“Well,” Shikaku began, “the Sarutobi probably still think Hizashi killed their friend,” he said pointing to said Hyuga who grew anxious, “and Itachi betrayed the Akatsuki, so they probably want to put a bullet in his head.”

Itachi shut his eyes knowing that what the man said was true.

“On top of that, each one of us knows too much. In one way or another, there’s a number of people who just want us dead sooner rather than later,” Shikaku summed up. His son hummed in agreement. Both Nara males were a bit too calm considering the circumstances, but it was typical of them the rest supposed.

They sat in the silence of the office building’s seating area unsure of where to go next.

“Neji!”

The Hyuga raised his head. He turned to face the loud call to find Hinata and Hanabi running towards him with their father trailing behind in a relieved walk. Neji stood and rushed to his sisters wrapping either girl in his arms. The three basked in each other’s presence. It had been a very long and uncertain amount of days. Still, two men stood at odds with another. Hiashi avoided looking to his brother, the very one who he had parted from with a punch to the jaw the last time he saw him. Hizashi stared to Hiashi, but his eyes were more fearful. The Hyuga twins, like always, had nothing to say.


	81. Chapter 81

Once again, they were being escorted by the ANBU. Their numbers separated them into two vehicles. In one were Haku, Neji, Hinata, Hanabi and Hiashi. Behind them were Shikaku, Shikamaru, Hiashi, Sasuke, and Itachi. It was late and it no longer mattered where they turned, they found hope in nothing.

“Where is Izumi?” Haku asked just barely.

“I’m unsure. She left as soon as we arrived at the office,” Hiashi answered.

Haku eased his mouth shut but it seemed to be enough to reassure him for now.

A sharp glass crack sounded. Not long after, the car began to swerve until it crashed into a nearby building getting bystanders to scatter in panicked screams. The driver’s head fell against the steering wheel long before the airbag deployed. Neji could see the blood trickling down his temple. Someone had shot him.

“Get down!” Hiashi ordered, “get out, now! Keep your head low!”

Each of them filed out of the vehicle and rushed inside of the restaurant that the car had just rammed into. Neji heard something whisp past him. It was a bullet that just missed him and grazed Hiashi’s cheek. Whoever was after them was a fairly sharp shot, but they missed their chance as soon as the group made it into cover.

The customers inside were panicked and all stood from their chairs after the loud collision, but the group paid them no mind as they shot towards the back of the restaurant, as far away from the windows as possible. They each ran into the men’s restroom and locked themselves in the largest stall. Each of them felt their hearts beat against their chests thunderously at the sudden threat.

“What do we do?” Neji asked breathily.

“Where did that come from?” Hinata nearly cried.

“Dad,” Hanabi called panicked as she neared the man.

Hiashi hushed her and held her tightly as his mind ran. He then released the girl before unlocking the stall.

“Dad!” Hanabi exclaimed.

“I’ll be back, stay here, stay together,” he ordered before exiting both the stall and the bathroom with a loud slam.

“They should be calling police soon,” Neji realized regretfully.

“We can’t trust them,” Haku remembered.

The two boys shared a glance before the door slammed open all over again. Hiashi quickly reentered the stall with a hand full of silverware, “here,” he said as he handed around either steak knives or butter knives to the children in the stall before locking the door back. They weren’t the only ones in the restroom for long. The door flew open and countless footsteps followed the sound of the door’s henges. The group within the stall tensed and all gripped their utensils.

“Neji? Haku?” Shikamaru’s voice sounded.

“We’re here,” Neji answered.

“What the hell happened?” Shikaku asked as countless screams went on outside of the bathroom’s door.

“We were shot at. Our driver was sniped,” Hiashi answered hastily.

“Shit,” Shikamaru cursed.

The group in the large stall listened as the others’ feet shuffled to lock themselves in the remaining stalls.

“I didn’t know they had a fucking sniper,” Shikamaru commented as if it were less likely than just unrealistic.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Shikaku said.

The door was kicked open which caused the rest of them to freeze every movement and breath. Hanabi covered her mouth as the footsteps slowed.

“Itachi,” the newcomer spoke. It was a man, “come out. I was only sent for you. The rest of them are not my concern. I just shot the wrong driver. It was an unlucky guess,” his voice fluttered humorously.

Neji listened as one stall was unlocked. His eyes widened at the sound of Itachi willingly giving himself up to ensure that the others were left at peace. Soon after, another stall flew open and a gunshot sounded. Neji heard a figure fall to the ground harshly before it went silent. There were no more words or movement.

Hiashi crept towards the stall door and unlocked it to peak through the sliver of an opening. Neji watched the man to figure out whether it was safe or not. Hiashi stepped fully out of the stall and neared the scene. Neji followed after but more slowly, keeping his sisters and Haku behind him. He peaked past the stall to find a man with green hair lying on the tile with a pool of blood spilling from his neck. The other escort that followed them in seemed to have shot him. Neji’s pulse picked back up at the display as the others emerged from their stalls as well to get an idea of what had happened.

“Zetsu,” Itachi said as he watched the man who lied closely to his sniper rifle. He was still, dead still, but his golden eyes suddenly flickered to Itachi. He performed the last movement he was capable of; he pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight to Itachi’s abdomen before he allowed herself to rest. Itachi stood stunned, incapable of making any movements apart from looking to the woman in shock and holding a hand over the blood that colored his clothing. He pulled the hand away to look to the crimson before falling to his knees. Sasuke rushed to his brother and placed a hand to the man’s shoulder.

“Itachi,” he gripped his shoulder tighter.

Itachi didn’t respond. He watched as the pool of blood near the man’s neck grew and grew.

“Itachi!”

Itachi fell forward into the accumulation of red. He was limp, he was still. He was dead still.

. . .

Sasuke watched his brother as Itachi fought for his life in the hospital bed. The man was pale from the loss of blood. He was in need of a transfusion. Sasuke continued to stand over his brother and stared numbly. He had lost so much over the span of only a few days. His mother, his father, his normal way of life, and now his brother teetered between life and death.

A nurse knocked on the room’s door before entering, “he is blood type AB. If any of you would like to donate, you can,” the man said, “luckily, with AB, just about any blood type can be a compatible donor.”

“I can donate,” Hinata stepped forward.

“I can,” Shikamaru said.

Neji stepped forward as well as Haku.

“I can too,” Hanabi stood proudly.

“You’re too young,” her father said under his breath.

“Oh,” the girl retreated.

“I’ll set everything up. It’s a good thing you’ll all pitch in. It’ll mean less draining just one of you,” the nurse informed, “wait here.”

. . .

They each reunited all with gauge bandaged to the crook of their arms.

“We shouldn’t stay too long,” the Uchiha and Nara’s escort said.

To that, some dulled, knowing that what he said was true, but one of them stared to the escort in denial.

“And leave him?” Sasuke challenged.

“I’m not sure how, but the Akatsuki seem to know our every location. If they know Itachi is injured then they should be on their way here,” the agent explained.

Everyone stood, intending to follow the man out, everyone but Sasuke.

“No,” the Uchiha whispered, gripping onto the low-rise railing of his brother’s bedside. He looked over the pale, unconscious male mildly fearful for him. He knew Itachi had openly betrayed a very powerful foe. He lied vulnerable to anyone who wished to pay him a visit.

“I’m calling people in to watch over him now, but as for the rest of you, staying in one place for too long isn’t safe,” the agent said.

“What does it matter? They’re everywhere! They’ve got snipers!” Sasuke argued, “they go everywhere we go, it’s only a matter of time when it comes to them! We’re dead!” Considering each event leading up to then, they were merely prolonging the inevitable, “maybe if we do what they want…”

“With Kabuto up top, there is no doing what they want. He knows that we’ve seen everything. We know the ins and outs of their operation and everyone involved,” Shikamaru countered before pausing, “did you guys ever take it to the mountains?” He asked the agent.

The man took his finger from the device in his ear to face the Nara, “the mountains?”

“You said you found the leader burned in the ashes of his home which was only one of their hideouts. He was the first leader, now it’s Kabuto, but he’s pulling strings from the mountains,” the Nara said half knowing that telling a man of his position would do very little.

“Did you tell questioners?” The agent asked.

Shikamaru nodded slowly as he narrowed his eyes. He then looked to Itachi and stopped at the foot of the man’s bed, “was he questioned?” The Nara asked.

“I’m not sure; that is not my department.”

Shikamaru continued to stare to Itachi before stepping towards the door. He exchanged a glance with his father. Clearly the two of them had figured something out without voicing much of it. Neji could see it by the way both of their eyes then shifted towards the agent.

“I ordered another car. Seeing as they were willing to use explosives to kill only you, risking the lives of innocent people, keeping you here would endanger everyone in the building,” the man informed before stepping from the room, “this way.”

. . .

Once they exited the building, Neji stepped towards Shikamaru. It went without saying that the male planned to enter the same car as him to speak over whatever the two had found out on their own. They both looked to the new car as a new escort opened the car door for them. The two climbed in before the man shut the door behind them. The lights from the hospital reflected brilliantly from the vehicle’s tinted windows. They waited for the two drivers to exchange the plan before putting the cars into motion, so the group sat silently. The vehicle was different from the last one supposedly to throw snipers off. Still, its passengers felt as though they were only taking another chance. It seemed like insanity. They kept lower than before, proper seating in a safety belt be damned.

“What did you find out?” Neji asked the Nara who was cooped up on the car floor between his own seat and the one in front of him. They both sat similarly facing one another.

“Well, they should’ve questioned Itachi,” the Nara said.

It was a bit strange considering the man was injured upon arrival. It did not seem as if the Uchiha would have much time to get a word out regarding the situation, “when?” Neji asked.

“After he was injured, he was gone for days, remember? All the time we were shacked up in that room gave them plenty of time to ask one of the operation’s key players. Not only was he gone for days, he showed up to save us _with_ ANBU. If anything, they should’ve already been acting on the same information we gave them earlier today,” Shikamaru said. The ANBU should have already had their hands on the Uchiha days before they questioned the rest of them, so Kabuto’s location shouldn’t have been anything new. That is, unless Itachi either lied, held the secret, didn’t know of the location change, or was never questioned to begin with.

“He was never called back when we were held for questioning,” Neji thought aloud.

Shikamaru nodded, “I only thought it was because he was questioned back when we were in his room, but there’s a disconnect somewhere.”

“Why would that be?” Neji asked.

“Akatsuki probably have a hold of the ANBU as well as police,” Shikaku said from behind them.

Neji frowned as the situation became more and more hopeless.

“But, that agent still killed that lady in the restroom. On top of that, they rescued us from that sadistic psychopath,” Shikamaru pulled his sleeves further over the bandages on his arms, “they weren’t hesitant to kill them, so I’m guessing the Akatsuki don’t have as much of a grip on the ANBU as they’d like.”

“Which means there’s someone or a handful of people corrupting it from the inside,” Shikaku continued from the very back seat.

Neji only sank lower, praying that the driver would return and put the vehicle into motion. Just as he wished, the driver door opened and in stepped their new escort. Neji looked up to find that it was the man with the eye patch. He wondered how well the man could drive seeing only half of what was in front of him. Neji then looked back to Shikamaru who never took his distrustful eyes from the Hyuga.

“Where are we going?” Shikamaru asked.

“Somewhere remote,” the driver answered.

“Remote how?”

“Somewhere no one can find you.”

Shikamaru shut his eyes. The information could be taken two ways; either he’s trying to help, or he’s bussing them right to the Akatsuki. The Nara tried to dismiss it as him only being paranoid. He knew he was only going off a hunch, a guess, but he was trying to explain to himself why the agent in particular never rubbed him the right way.

“Are you armed?” The driver asked.

Shikamaru felt the butter knife that he grabbed from the restaurant as it shifted in his inner jacket pocket. Yes, his first jacket was ripped by Sasori. Yes, the one he wore now was given to him by the agent, still, it did nothing to change the Nara’s gut feeling, “No,” he answered falsely.


	82. Chapter 82

The longer Neji thought over it, the more it would make sense. The Akatsuki knew of their every move since their arrival to Earth Country. The first encounter they had was of Deidara who blew up the very hotel that they were told would be a haven. Neji looked up to spot the agent who drove without paying the rest of them any mind even as they sat on the car floor. It was possible that the man brought them to the hotel and told them to never leave its doors for the sole purpose of keeping them stationary long enough for the Akatsuki to deliver a finishing blow. Only, adeudara had taken it in a literal sense.

The car rolled to a stop after some distance of what felt like uneven terrain. The agent put the car into park before exiting and opening the passenger doors, “we’re here.”

Neji felt Earth Country’s cold air flow against his back as he stood to exit the vehicle. It was dark with plenty of vegetation. He heard quickened but hushed footsteps and turned to find that Shikamaru was no where to be seen, “Shikamaru?”

Shikaku approached his side and kept closely to him, “this guy isn’t right,” the man whispered.

Hizashi finally left the vehicle hesitantly and, as always, gravitated towards Shikaku’s side, “where are we?”

“Hell if I know,” Shikaku shrugged, “but we don’t trust it.”

Neji peered through the night to find that they had been left alone in some sort of remote forest. The agent was gone. Neji knew that betraying the agent if he were an honest worker would have detrimental consequences, so they had to be careful.

“Shit, go back, go back,” Shikaku said, yanking the two Hyuga by their arms. Before long, they heard a gunshot that was followed by another, then two and three more. Shikaku ducked into the driver seat and put the car into reverse without looking through the windshield. He simply sped backwards. Neji sat in the back covering his head along with Hizashi who now sat in Shikamaru’s previous seat. Neji tried to remain calm, but he didn’t see anyone else prior to being pulled and tossed into the car before they sped off. He didn’t see his sisters, Hiashi, or Shikamaru. Now, they were speeding down the unpaved terrain.

Eventually the shooting quieted once they tore through bushes and trees to reach a backroad. It was dark but at least paved. They met it after sliding down a steep trail that seemed to have led into the woods. It was where the agent turned upon their arrival only minutes ago. It was quiet up until something crashed into the front of their car. Hizashi gasped fearfully, tucking his head further between his knees. Nothing came from Shikaku which only further frayed Neji’s nerves. He looked up to find Shikaku now sitting up to properly steer the vehicle.

“What was that?” Neji asked through a hushed voice.

Shikaku sighed tensely, “Shikamaru followed us down and crashed the back of his car with the front of ours. We’re good as long as this damned thing works,” he said as he put the car in drive.

They made it out. As far as Neji knew, they all made it out. Shikaku continued to follow his son down the road at a high speed to slim the chances of being shot at all over again. It was dark and harder to see anyone or anything that may have been camping in the dark. Neji shook along with the car as he watched his lap as uncertainty distracted him.

“Neji,” Hizashi called quietly.

Neji looked towards the man.

“We made it,” Hizashi offered a nervous smile.

Neji’s eyes only dropped back to his hands that lied limply in his lap. He then leaned his tired head against the seat in front of him.

“He’s going fast,” Shikaku commented in a mumble. Still, he revved the engine up to match the speed of the car in front of him, “he’s going back in town.”

“What? There are too many buildings in town, we’ll get sniped again if not stopped for going over the speed limit,” Hizashi pointed out.

“No, I think he’s headed back towards the hospital,” Shikaku noted calmly, “shit,” he cursed under his breath.

Neji’s heart stopped. Someone had been injured. He knew that it would have been impossible for all of them to make it out alive together without a single blemish. Still, the information stung him. All he could do was wonder who it was that took the bullet. The question was slowly driving him to instability.

“Neji,” Hizashi said which only got Neji to shut his eyes and drop his head into his lap.

Neji felt the man reach to his arm, but he slapped the touch away before the hand could fully rest against him. He was confused and drowning in what seemed to be a fast-approaching certain death. It seemed to be a matter of who went first at this point. He felt the car swerve to a stop. Shikaku quickly left them, slamming the door shut behind him. Neji listened to the panicked voices just outside of the car. He could tell each voice apart. He heard Shikamaru say ‘him’. It could’ve been Hiashi, but no, he heard Hiashi’s voice. Haku. Neji lifted his head and stared in shock before reaching for his own door handle.

“Neji!” Hizashi exclaimed before the boy opened the door and ran, leaving the door wide open. He looked to find Shikamaru and Shikaku aiding the boy towards the doors. Neji rushed towards them and followed the three inside. The others trailed behind the Hyuga as they entered the doors and inched towards the emergency room. Neji knew that they all sat on the car floor to avoid something like what occurred in the forest. He wondered where Haku had been and what he was doing to lead him to be a hit target. Something clicked against the ground. Neji looked down to find a pink comb that had fallen from Haku’s pocket. It was the same that Izumi ran through Haku’s hair in the beach house. Neji bent down to pick it up and made towards Haku to give it to him when he heard the crack of yet another gun. The sound sickened him with each bullet that pierced the air given everything that had been through. As expected, screams erupted and even workers scrambled, defeating the purpose of their arrival. Every doctor and nurse ran to safety once the first crack sounded. Through the squeaking of sneakers and panicked yells and slamming of doors, Neji heard someone fall followed by a loud cry. Neji’s head whipped to find a man unknown to him lying on the floor. Haku, still held upright by the Naras cried before fighting either male off. He fell to his knees and buried his face into the man’s chest.

“Haku,” the man coughed.

Haku shook his head, “Zabuza,” he cried as the man gently brushed against his cheek.

“Haku, come on,” Shikamaru urged as his feet begged him to run. The shooter still had to be here, and whoever it was aimed to Shikaku who was close to Haku, but Zabuza seemed to have emerged from thin air to take the bullet instead, effectively protecting Haku who cried as he too bled just over his loss, “Haku!”

Haku cried, drowning out the Nara’s calls. Neji quickly looked around to find a man that had successfully subdued the shooter. He was heroic and saved them from more bloodshed just by weighing the man down. The shooter wore a mask that hid his features, but the man tore the coverage from the criminal’s face to reveal no one other than Kabuto. Kabuto tried to work himself from the man’s grip. He must have seen how his henchmen failed every order and decided to come out of hiding to finish the job himself only to be thwarted just like the others.

“Zabuza,” Haku cried again. The man was unresponsive, “Zabuza!”

The group allowed him to cry over who they presumed was one of the few people who cared for him. Only, none of them could guess what the man had been doing there in the first place.

Shikamaru stared to Kabuto as the man struggled under the other’s weight. Deep down, the Nara knew there was too much working in his favor. If they let Kabuto go now, there was no doubt that they would meet again whether it be face to face or at gun point, so Shikamaru approached the white-haired mastermind, “let him up,” the Nara ordered.

“But he’s…” the hero began.

“Let him up,” Shikamaru said, taking the butter knife from his jacket.

The man did as told and ran now that Kabuto was free to reach for the gun that had slid across the floor when he tackled him. As expected, Kabuto ran after his gun, but when he turned to aim it towards the Nara, Shikamaru swatted the barrel to the side before jamming the knife into his neck. Kabuto limply dropped the firearm and his lips fell open as he gagged. He sloppily felt the knife as he fell to his knees. Shikamaru had allowed the man to grab the gun to make it seem like self-defense to avoid any further sentences. Whatever the cameras caught should be good enough.

“Haku?” He heard Hinata call.

Shikamaru turned to find the boy limply lying against Zabuza. Together they bled. The Nara’s heart dropped as he watched for any signs of life or movement. Hiashi’s face fell into a stressful hand, Hizashi’s eyes widened in shock, Neji seemed to have been numbed by disbelief as Hanabi cried. Shikaku shook his head painfully and distanced himself from the scene. It was too much. It was all too much.

. . .

“Did you have to kill him?”

“You know just as well as I do that it wouldn’t have been the last time we saw him.”

“What if he has some sort of successor?”

“We’ll worry about it later.”

“Later? What do we do now?”

“Neji, I don’t know, okay?”

The voices were muffled but clear enough to be understood as he returned to the world around him. He opened his eyes to a room filled with everyone he saw last, “Zabuza,” he said quietly.

The others looked to the boy who had become paler than usual if it was even possible.

“Haku!” Hanabi cheered, nearing him in a flash. She shut her tearful eyes and lied her head against his bed.

“These doctors are miracle workers,” Shikamaru said, “I think the blood loss, pain and shock knocked you out.”

“Zabuza,” he repeated.

They each looked to each other before Neji pulled Izumi’s comb from his own pocket. He handed it to the pale boy who took it delicately. He studied it through wide, dark eyes, “where is he?” He asked looking up to Neji, losing all interest in the pink plastic. Neji only shut his eyes and lowered his head as the room became swamped in somberness. The others almost wished that Haku had remained unconscious as they watched tears fill his eyes. He had yet to blink, still the tears trickled down his white cheeks before he finally rolled his head to the side to watch the wall right next to him. It was as if nothing else existed anymore. He had been broken down time and time again until finally, he was no longer responsive. He was alive, but for a reason that Haku could not figure out.

The others looked from him to the floor, the wall, the window, or each other.

“Come on,” Shikamaru whispered. The others followed him out and eased the door shut behind them.

“Where’s Sasuke?” Shikaku asked.

“Itachi woke up, he’s with him,” his son answered.

Shikaku looked back to Haku’s door, “should we leave the guy alone?”

Shikamaru looked to the door as well thinking it over. He saw the emptiness in Haku’s eyes. It had been an eerie calm that almost accepted the death of Zabuza instantly, “probably not.”

“I’ll stay with him,” Hiashi said.

“You sure?” Shikaku asked.

Hiashi nodded before reentering the room.

The rest stood in the hall and waited for whatever came next.

“Well we can cross Kabuto off the list. Anything we gotta worry about now?” Shikamaru asked.

“Senju, Sarutobi,” at Shikaku’s mentioning of the Sarutobi, Hizashi nearly winced, “corrupted police and ANBU if the Uchiha still follow orders from someone else who was operating underground next to Kabuto.”

“Haku!” They heard a yell from within and wasted no time in rushing inside. They found Hiashi trying to pry Haku’s own hands from around his own neck. The boy was choking himself while letting out a cry that he kept in when he went through unspeakable horrors, a cry that was strengthened by the sight of Zabuza bleeding helplessly before him. It was a cry that blamed himself for everything, a cry that wished he never allowed them to save him. He resented himself for allowing everything that had occurred. It was a cry that reminded himself that he could have nothing and that he was foolish to think otherwise. However, those around him right at that moment thought differently and worked to free Haku from himself. After some time of the boy tossing and turning, they were successful in getting Haku to allow air back into his lungs. No one could tell if they had changed his mind or if the burn in Haku’s chest became enough for him to give up, but it did not matter. The others simply stood winded around his hospital bed. It only made him feel worse. He heard the man’s words in the back of his head. It was the man from the Uchiha beach house of whom he had killed. He was one of many who had abused him. He had told Haku that he burdened the people around him by trying to be something he wasn’t which was worth freedom, worth saving. He sat in his bed and stared to the sheets as his eyes continued to tear up. It hurt. He would have held himself but the puncture within him from the bullet only added to the pain. He sat there and blanked entirely as the words became too much. Anyone who had brought him up said the same things as the man, and for the first time in months, all he could hear was them.


	83. Chapter 83

“We can’t guarantee that our efforts will remain unthwarted, however, we can guarantee that you will have our protection. We’ve sent agents to Fire Country to track down the Senju and inspect them and everything you say they’re hiding,” a woman in a suit informed the group that sat wearily in the office.

“What about the mountains?” Shikamaru asked.

“The mountains?” The woman asked.

Shikamaru stood from his seat and exited the office fed up with every effort being all for naught.

The woman continued to look over the rest of them unsure of what his disgruntlement was about.

“The mountains we told you about,” Shikaku tried. The gruffness of his voice told of his thinning patience.

“We have nothing of the sort in our reports,” the woman informed.

“Of course, you don’t,” the man mumbled as he sat back, “Well, put this in your damn report and make sure no one finds a way to erase it: the Akatsuki are operating from the mountains.”

The woman took in a deep breath before grabbing a slip of paper and clicking a pen, “I’ll make sure it’s sent to where it needs to go.”

“And where’s that?” Shikaku questioned.

“Our record keeper.”

“Who,” he asked tilting his head, “is that?” The man was intimidating without effort.

“The first floor, but records are confidential. Well, to specify, these are accusations that can’t quite be classified as legitimate records,” the woman said.

“Just tell us where the record keeper is.”

. . .

Shikaku knocked on the window of the records room. Underneath the glass was a sliver of an opening where documents could be given out from the other side. The knock was answered by a worker that emerged from behind the walls of files. He was pale with short black hair and didn’t seem to be much older than the teens themselves.

“May I help you?” He asked with a false smile.

“Well, it’s not him,” Shikamaru said. They were looking for the driver that had driven them to a trap the previous night.

“Who?” The worker asked.

“A guy with an eye patch, scar on his chin,” Shikaku explained.

“Danzo,” the worker said.

“Yeah, kid how old are you?” Shikaku asked, leaning against the window’s counter.

The worker simply smiled, “can I be of any further assistance?” Him dodging the question only further strengthened their suspicion, “records are highly confidential.”

“Yeah, we’ve heard, come on,” Shikaku said before leaning away from the counter.

. . .

“Danzo,” Neji repeated.

“That was the name of the guy who brought us to the hotel all that time back,” Shikamaru said, “but you guys have been there forever untouched, so why would he just now try to kill us?”

Shikaku shook his head, “I’ve never seen him until you guys showed up.”

“What?” Shikamaru asked, stopping at the same time as his father. The four Hyuga stopped in sync a few steps ahead.

“It’s almost like he didn’t know we were there until you guys showed up,” the elder Nara continued, “maybe he had to work on being assigned to our case.”

“There is no telling,” Hiashi spoke up, “I know their leader is dead, but nothing is promised.”

“Where do we go?” Hinata asked.

“The ANBU haven’t been the best at keeping us safe,” Hizashi pitched in. His voice earned him a look from Hiashi. It was one of the few times his brother had ever even given him attention. His brother’s rare eyes were paralyzing. Hizashi allowed his words to get caught in his throat and he held them until they died. He kept his head lowered remembering that the only reason they were in trouble now was because of him.

“The Senju,” Shikamaru said.

“Don’t they want us dead?” Hizashi mumbled pitifully. Still, his brother’s eyes burned into the side of his head.

“They offered to protect us,” Shikamaru said as he looked to Neji.

“They only protected us because the Senju thought that we knew where our fathers were,” the Hyuga said.

“Maybe we could use it. They seem to be the only ones who can fight dirty against the Akatsuki. The ANBU are too worried about legalities,” Shikamaru suggested.

Hizashi ran his fingers through his frizzled hair and mumbled things as he began to pace. Their best bet was to ask help from the very people who wanted them dead.

“How would we get there?” Shikaku asked causing Hizashi to stare at him through his mop, “Hizashi it’s our best bet.”

“Their best bet,” he corrected, “what are we gonna do?” He asked as he came face to face with the elder Nara.

“We’re putting our sons first is what we’re doing,” Shikaku’s face was unmoving, “we’ll be offerings if it means they’ll be safe.”

Hizashi kept his fearful eyes on the man. The way the man put it sounded as if all hope was out for them. This was the end.

“Gods, the least you can do is risk this for Neji after all of these years,” Hiashi finally spoke directly to his brother.

“Just – !” Hizashi gripped the sides of his head and sealed his eyes tightly trying to tell himself to accept death for another’s safety. It was overwhelming since it came so suddenly after all of these years of sacrifice and surviving.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes. It showed of his resentment towards his twin brother who, in his eyes, still couldn’t gather himself enough to put an end to the situation he had started so many years ago, “Hizashi, for once just make the right decision!” The elder of the two demanded.

“Give him a second, will you?” Shikaku spoke up as he watched Hizashi process everything.

Hiashi hadn’t expected the man to speak up over the matter. He stared to Shikaku, “you ran away with him what makes what you have to say any more the wiser?”

“Because I listened to him,” Shikaku put simply, “he’s not the best at decision making but how many times has he been presented a choice?” His voice was calm as he continued, “he was convinced he was nothing, nonexistent, he wasn’t even self-aware when he finally set foot outside. He’s always cared for each of you, but he couldn’t reach out.”

“Of course, he couldn’t. If he did, all of this mess would have only happened sooner,” Hiashi argued.

“He tried to get back. He tried to run multiple times, but he couldn’t.”

“He should have never gone,” Hiashi hissed.

“What was the other choice? Stay there to be neglected and shamed just for existing? You don’t know what he felt up there, so don’t act like he had the facilities to ever think straight. I’ve seen more of him than you ever have in your entire fucking life,” he said as he neared Hiashi, “he’s broken never to be anywhere near your identical twin all because of what your father did, but you kissed his ass so much that you didn’t even stop to picture his trauma. He ran to me when he left, you know that? He ran to my house and we left together because home wasn’t home for either of us. I’m glad you got to have whatever it is you wanted, I’m glad you made homeruns in grade school and got to choose how you wanted to celebrate your sweet sixteen and your departure for college and graduation and all that other familial bull shit, but you don’t know shit about either of us, but we know each other more than you ever will because you’ve always been so blinded by opportunity, privilege, and being Dad’s favorite, huh? You were ready to forget all about him but he performed so many blood curdling assignments just to keep you out of harm’s way only because once he was kicked to the streets, he had no where else to turn. He was alone like he’s always been.”

Hiashi stood stunned by everything that his mind used to keep at bay. They were muffles that he refused to face front because he had his own life and hatred to drown it out. He looked over Shikaku’s shoulder to spot Hizashi who kept his back turned, “you killed him,” Hiashi muttered.

Shikaku’s eyes rounded before they turned rageful, “you have Orochimaru to blame!”

“Orochimaru wouldn’t have even known we existed had he been smart enough not to take candy from a damn stranger!” Hiashi countered, shoving the Nara man backward before Shikaku started at him again.

“Hey!” Shikamaru yelled as he pulled his father back. Neji wrapped his arms around Hiashi and together the two separated the men who had turned into fighting bulls.

“I’m sorry, Hiashi!” Hizashi exclaimed through the chaos.

“I don’t give a damn! If only you’d…” Hiashi caught his tongue before he said something regrettable, but Hizashi had caught on. If only Hizashi had died on the job, no one would have reason to track them. Hiashi watched as his brother dulled. He was no longer fearful, he was somber. Hiashi’s face softened, “Hizashi.”

Hizashi turned and left the group alone without a word.

“No,” Hiashi whispered.

“Hizashi!” Shikaku called after glaring to the man in Neji’s arms. He shrugged his son off before running after his friend leaving the rest at a loss of what to do.

“Damn it!” Hiashi yelled after being released at long last. He turned and placed both hands over his head releasing a long breath.

“Father?” Hinata approached him and studied him carefully.

Hiashi shook his head, “it’s not his fault,” he whispered. He pinched the bridge of his nose, “it’s not his fault,” he admitted to himself.

Neji watched as the man began to shift the blame from his brother to himself. Neji placed a hand to his shoulder, “it is neither of your faults,” he found himself saying, still he could not shake the feeling of anger that wafted towards his biological father. A fact went unspoken that all of this began with the twins’ own father whose antics were more than only questionable; they were immoral.

Hiashi froze at that. Hiashi always held his father to the highest regards. He loved his father. To Hiashi, he was everything and more. He was proud and strong in every aspect. At least, he was all of the above to him. Growing up in the home, Hizashi’s neglect was normal to him. His father had convinced him that Hizashi was supposed to be there, still Hiashi would let curiosity get the best of him and he would sneak up to the attic and whisper to him, trying his best to teach him how to read by slipping pages through the door only when he was bored and lonely. In a house as large as it was, it was only natural. Hiashi remembered the small voice on the other side of the door. He remembered getting irritated with Hizashi for not understanding the most basic things or the world around them. Hiashi began to hate himself more and more as he allowed himself to remember how corrupted their childhood had been. He could only imagine the effect it had on his brother’s mind. There was only so much hate he could give Hizashi at the end of the day, but it was easier to pin it all on the deranged man.

Hiashi clenched his jaw before turning to chase after the other two. Neji watched as Hiashi raced through the hall before he caught Shikamaru’s eyes that seemed to apologize. Neji lowered his head as the Nara approached. Neji felt that the boy wished to find the right words, but he knew that after such a display only so much could be said, so he simply shook his head.

“I didn’t know,” Hinata voiced quietly.

“I thought he was just…” Hanabi trailed off.

Neji only stared off into the direction of which the three men had disappeared. All he could do was frown. Though Hizashi’s story had been one of one misfortunate event after the other, he had still been an indirect cause of their mother’s death. That was all he could see the man for.

. . .

In the end, they drove a car that did not belong to either of them. They took Hizashi’s idea and stole a van that fit each of them. Sasuke stayed with Itachi who was still in the hospital along with Haku who remained under strict watch after what he had tried to do when they were there. Now, Shikaku drove with Shikamaru in the passenger seat. On the middle row sat Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji. In the very back were the Hyuga twins. Hiashi insisted on sitting with Hizashi although everyone else was unsure of the decision. They allowed it and decided that getting to Fire Country was their main priority, so they ran from the ANBU and Earth Country and made for Konohagakure.

“Shikamaru,” Shikaku spoke.

“Mh?” The Nara slouched bored in the passenger seat.

“When I took you on those trips and you waited in the hotels until I was done with business, did anyone ever come towards you?”

Shikamaru was quiet before answering, “yeah, it was Sasori.”

“I knew him because I used to work with him, but I could tell you knew him too.”

Shikamaru nodded, “I did.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was a kid. He said if I told then he’d come back, so I didn’t say anything, but it didn’t matter what I did or didn’t do, he’d come back,” Shikamaru admitted as he played with the window button.

“What did he do?” Shikaku asked, tightening his grip on the wheel.

“He just pricked me in the arms with this long, thin needle. He was freaky and said weird things like ‘should’ve covered up’ or ‘aren’t you cold?’ To be fair it was cold on the trips, but I was in a hotel room, why would I wear a jacket?” Shikamaru shook his head, “the needles didn’t hurt until later. All of both of my arms would hurt. It was weird. He did it for fun I think.”  
  


Shikaku narrowed his eyes at the wording. He remembered returning to the room to find his son hiding in the sheets. Shikamaru would be speechless. No matter how many times he asked if he was alright, Shikamaru would only nod and shut his eyes, pretending to go to sleep, “And you never told me?” Shikaku grew angrier towards Sasori who had gotten off easy.

“I was scared. I was a kid.”

“Shikamaru.”

“What?” The younger Nara asked now mildly annoyed.

“Is that why you wear sleeves all the time? It doesn’t matter if it’s hot or cold. You’re always wearing layers.”

There was silence. It would explain the odd way of dressing in disregard of the season.

“Probably,” Shikamaru shrugged, “haven’t really thought about it.”

His father let out a gruff breath from his nose, “bastards.”

“He’s dead now, Dad,” Shikamaru reminded as he rubbed his own arms as if the pricking sensation had suddenly returned after all these years.

“I know,” Shikaku assured, releasing yet another heated breath, “I know.”


	84. Chapter 84

They drove from the gas station and continued their trip towards Fire Country. It wasn’t a short trip. Still, Shikaku continued to drive in silence. He glanced down to the over-sized sleeves that were rolled up to his son’s wrists. Each time he saw them, it only further angered Shikaku, but Sasori was dead; there was nothing he could do.

“You think they killed Danzo for failing?” Shikamaru asked suddenly to divert his father’s attention, though he already knew the answer.

“Not if he’s the link between them and the ANBU if there’s even an Akatsuki anymore.”

Shikamaru chuckled, “looks like the mastermind behind the whole war got what they wanted.”

The small talk got Shikaku to sigh his tension away, enough of it to focus at least.

Hiashi looked to his brother who blankly stared to the seat before him. His posture was as poor as his apparent health. He was smaller than Hiashi in every sense. He seemed anxious at all times. It was wrong.

“I’m sorry,” Hiashi said.

Hizashi’s head only turned away from his brother. He shook his head, “no.”

“No, what?”

“No apologies. I’m wrong, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Hizashi thought of Hiashi’s wife, “it is.”

“Hizashi.”

Said man only further curled in on himself. It hurt Hiashi to see him like this. Furthermore, it hurt him to know that years ago he was suddenly all alone in a world that was much bigger than whatever he could ever see through that small window in the attic, “I’m sorry,” Hiashi repeated.

Hizashi only shook his head more frantically, “No.” He felt firm hands grip his arms, turning him to face the other.

Hiashi stared Hizashi in his sorrowful eyes, “you’re my brother.”

Hizashi nodded in agreement. Hiashi nodded along with him.

“You’re my brother and I should’ve taken you in once I moved out regardless of what Father wanted,” Hiashi continued.

Hizashi’s eyes slowly shut. Every bit of his expression told of the pain that the weight on his shoulders was causing, “she died.”

Hiashi stared to him peculiarly waiting for him to elaborate.

“She died because I couldn’t follow orders,” he whispered.

“Neji’s mother?” Hiashi tried though he had a good idea of what his brother had meant. His subconscious knowing just that much tightened his grip on the man’s slim arms.

“Their mother,” Hizashi breathed out. Hiashi shoved him back to the other side of the car. The younger of the two simply couldn’t bear the weight of it any more now that Hiashi had suddenly began to accept him back. It felt wrong. Hizashi hid his face behind his hands afraid of the next blow.

“Hey!” Shikaku called, looking to the back of the car, “quit it or you’ll send us all off the road!”

“You…” Hiashi said under his breath. He watched his disgraceful brother sink further against the seat in front of him as he cowered in the corner of the back row.

Neji clenched his lap knowing that the discussion had to be held, but he never knew how soon it would be. He could understand Hiashi’s anger. He felt the same way in the hotel kitchen. He only saw red and swore that he could mop the floor with the man’s blood, but he stopped himself. He stopped himself because he was sane enough to. He knew that their mother was the love of Hiashi’s life. Hiashi knew her far longer than either Neji or the girls, so the blow had to be extra heavy for him. He expected a hit to be delivered but was surprised to be met with silence.

Hiashi’s face fell into his hands and he sat still in the dark silence. Shikaku pulled over to an empty lot.

“We’re gonna switch seats,” the driver said, “Hizashi, up front.”

. . .

Hinata volunteered to sit next to her father in the back while Shikamaru took her previous seat next to Neji. The girl tried to comfort her father, but Neji was sure that the information shook her image of her uncle just as much as it did Hiashi’s. Hanabi stared right at her uncle and never took her eyes from the man. The girl’s eyes weren’t filled to the brim with hate. She was too young to get to know her mother, but she still could not believe that Hizashi was the reason for it.

“You okay?” Shikamaru asked quietly.

Neji nodded keeping his eyes to his lap. There was no coming back from that. Their family ties were now more so of inescapable knots, ugly knots that would let none of them loose no matter the distance. Now, the family all sat in the car, well what remained.

“What are you gonna tell them when you show up at their doorstep?” Shikaku asked.

“The Senju weren’t in Earth Country, but it’s where we last seen, so every arrow they find should lead them there. We’ll just tell them we saw you guys in Earth Country before the Akatsuki chased us off. After learning about Hizashi’s story of being responsible for their mom’s death, Neji should have no reason to lie to them to protect Hizashi, so they shouldn’t have a reason to believe we’re lying. I don’t think they’ll get rid of us after we tell them straight away. We are links to you guys since you’re, well, our dads,” he pointed out, “they’ll keep us to lure you guys just like they did last time, but at least we’ll be safe from the Akatsuki if they’re still active after Kabuto’s death,” he mumbled the last part knowing that he put it lightly, “when they kept us, we weren’t getting attacked the way we were when we were under ANBU supervision.”

“What about Hiashi and his daughters?” Shikaku asked.

“The Senju seem to already know Hizashi cares for them,” Neji pitched in, “they only believed that the Akatsuki were unaware of Hiashi and his daughters which turned out to be false,” seeing as they were all in the car now, “it will not be strange for me to arrive with them as long as we do not seem to have a reason to protect Hizashi.”

Shikaku glanced to the man next to him who simply rested his eyes as they discussed the plan.

“They’ll make sure nothing happens to the link, or the bait in this situation, long enough for them to get to you guys,” Shikamaru said, looking from Hizashi to Shikaku.

“Mh,” Shikaku hummed in approval. Hizashi did not shift uncomfortably as he had back in the ANBU office building, so he must have accepted the position.

“You could probably stay at the house, Dad. Both of you could hide there until we figure out the rest.”

“Been a long time since I’ve been home,” Shikaku commented, “is the key still under that rock?”

“Yeah,” his son answered.

“Wait, your mother,” Shikaku stiffened. The woman was supposed to arrive sometime around the Hyuga family. All of the action had allowed it to slip their minds.

“Shit,” Shikamaru whispered a curse, “well, she wasn’t there during the explosion, we didn’t hear anything else about her, but as far as I know, she’s never been threatened. It wasn’t until I lived with you that I started getting followed.”

Shikaku frowned.

“We can’t go back,” Shikamaru voiced the most important point. They can’t go back. They’ve driven too far, and it was far too dangerous to return to Earth Country. If they weren’t killed, then they would have been jailed for stealing the vehicle. Still, the boy found it difficult to get comfortable in the seat that suddenly seemed to be hard beneath him. Neji looked to Shikamaru who only shook his head, “we can’t,” the Nara repeated. Neji placed a comforting hand to the boy’s shoulder before it fell. Shikamaru felt a warm hand over his own. The Nara faced the Hyuga who returned to watching his own lap. Shikamaru simply gripped the hand firmly and held it for some time neither of them bothered to count.

. . .

“It’s a pleasant surprise to see you here,” Hashirama greeted before widening the opening of the door, “all of you,” he added at seeing the girls and their father, “I thought you were Hizashi for a moment. Are you fraternal twins?”

“We know where they are,” Shikamaru said getting the man to lower the slim wine glass from his lips.

“Really?” The man asked after gasping excitedly.

“One thing,” the Nara said as the man let them in.

“Tell me,” Hashirama beamed, “the sooner we can ensure his safety the better.”

“Orochimaru’s dead,” the boy informed.

The rest of the open apartment seemed to freeze. Every other Senju who was in the area looked to the Nara.

“He’s dead?” Hashirama’s granddaughter asked.

“He was killed by his servant, Kabuto, so as of right now, I don’t know where the Akatsuki stand under its new rule,” Shikamaru confessed, “we were taken to Earth Country by the ANBU but left after realizing they weren’t much help. The Akatsuki tapped into the ANBU as well as the police, believe it or not.”

“That can’t be,” Tsunade stared to the boy in disbelief.

“Orochimaru’s dead. What does that mean?” Tobirama asked as he neared the group.

“I don’t know, but the ANBU killed a number of their guys. Itachi Uchiha,” Shikamaru began.

Tobirama seemed as if he would bury the name under his shoe if he could.

“He betrayed the Akatsuki and saved us countless times. I know you’re at odds, but leave him,” Shikamaru ordered. Tobirama opened his mouth to refuse before the Nara cut him off, “please.”

Tobirama grunted, “The Uchiha unit killed our third brother, father, mother, and Tsunade and her brother’s parents long ago. In more recent news, they killed Itama, our youngest brother. It happened when you were gone. We’ve had every gun pointed to them ever since,” he hissed through gritted teeth, “we’re not dropping one for doing one good thing for once.”

Shikamaru’s eyes widened before dropping to the marble floor. He studied the reflective surface for any reason strong enough to leave Itachi at peace if he were to return, but he found nothing.

Hashirama frowned to the Nara before looking back to Tobirama who only scowled to Shikamaru. Tobirama then stormed off, leaving the rest to discuss it. He had already given his answer, now it was a matter left to Hashirama, Tsunade, Dan, and another that none of them recognized. He was a younger brunette, not as young as the teens or Hiashi, but not middle aged.

“Surely we could spare Itachi,” Dan tried.

“Shut the hell up!” Tsunade ordered.

“Tsunade,” the younger man began.

“Nawaki!” Tsunade shouted, slicing her eyes right into the man who seemed to be said brother. The man stepped down immediately and simply left the room seeing that he had no opinion over the matter. Dan soon followed after, leaving only people who were directly affected by the Uchiha.

Hashirama sipped his wine as Tsunade steamed over the matter. She crossed her arms as she tapped her foot.

“If those are your conditions then I accept,” Hashirama smiled.

Tsunade stared to him in surprise, “what? How could you?!”

Hashirama held out his hand.

“We have another thing,” Shikamaru spoke causing the man to retract his hand, “we need protection from the Akatsuki and for you to leave Itachi and his brother. Go for anyone else if you have to but leave them.”

“Grandfather!”

“Deal,” the old man smiled, crinkling the corners of his eyes before shaking the boy’s hand, “you can stay here. I have plenty of space.

“What?!” Tsunade exclaimed all over again.

Once Hashirama finally faced the woman, she stopped each complaint or rebuttal she had, “you have an apartment, do you not, Tsuna?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“Then, you can stay there until they’ve finished their stay. A deal is a deal, Tsunade,” the man smiled.

“They’ve been gone for too long. It could be a setup,” Tsunade accused.

The group tried their hardest to keep the most honest faces they could muster.

“You’re so much like your mother,” Hashirama said, “she was too young to care for a fireball like you, Tsuna,” he said as he stroked the woman’s hair, “young and in love,” he reminisced.

Tsunade was stunned by the mention of her late mother. It was sudden, but effective against her temper. Before long, all that could be heard was the clicking of her heels as she sped around the group and through the apartment’s doors.

“I’m sorry about that. She doesn’t adapt well to change, I’m afraid, but I’m glad we’ve worked something out,” Hashirama said, his smile only faltering briefly. It reminded the boys too much of his rival, Orochimaru. Then again, given their positions and power, how different could the two truly be?


	85. Chapter 85

Surprisingly, the man had actually taken them to the apartments on the floor beneath him as opposed to letting them stay in his own which they had assumed he would. It must have been a front to get rid of Tsunade.

“How many rooms would you like?” Hashirama asked, facing the group.

Considering the size of the man’s own, “One,” Shikamaru ordered.

“You got it!”

Hashirama stopped in front of one of the apartment doors that were so incredibly spaced out which told of their grand size already. He unlocked it and dangled the key in front of Hiashi who took it, unsure of why the man was as joyful as he was.

“Rest for now, we’ll talk in the morning. You all look so beaten,” he said before leaving the group for the night.

“Why wouldn’t he want to know right away?” Hiashi asked after shutting the door and locking it behind himself.

“It might just not be his top priority,” Shikamaru suggested.

“It is hard to believe that he is this giving,” Neji pointed out.

“Which means another sleepless night,” the Nara grumbled as he trekked to the nearest seat.

. . .

They all huddled up in the same bedroom to be safe. They took shifts in staying awake through the night. It was currently Neji and Shikamaru’s shift and they took it upon themselves to leave the bedroom just for the sake of space as they walked through the apartment that they hadn’t properly toured before being handed the complex so generously.

The two sat in the kitchen which windows faced a grand ocean view. Shikamaru stood behind the bar that glowed softly in the night. It illuminated the bottom of his face and everything below it. Neji sat in a stool in front of the bar as they waited for even the slightest thing to shift in the dark. The Nara placed his hands on top of the counter before stepping back to view the clean glasses that hung in the bar’s bottom racks. He scoffed at the luxury. He then looked back up to spot Neji who stared to the surface. The dull light reflected against his pale eyes. His attention seemed to be elsewhere.

“What’re you thinking about?” Shikamaru’s voice came out quietly but the cold hard surfaces seemed to have amplified it.

Neji shook his head, “I am only tired.”

“Then go sleep, I’ll be up.”

“No. I am tired of…” he couldn’t find the right word, but he didn’t need to. Shikamaru knew what he meant now that he slowed to really look at Neji. The Nara sat down next to the Hyuga and rested his head against his hand. Keeping his eyes fixed on the elder male, he hummed in understanding. “I do not know how much longer we can…” Neji was spacey. Still, the Nara only needed fragments to take pretty educated guesses.

“I don’t know,” Shikamaru shut his eyes.

They then heard something light graze the floor and they whipped around towards wherever the sound had come from.

“The hell is that?” Shikamaru asked spotting a paper that sat right before the door. Someone slid a note to them from underneath the door it seemed. He stood and walked towards it. It was too dark by the door to read the note, but it seemed like someone’s handwriting.

“What is it?” Neji asked as he watched the boy return. Shikamaru neared the note to the bar light before reading it aloud.

“Tsunade killed the Sarutobi, not Hizashi,” the Nara paused after reading it. Now more than ever, no one’s motives could be guessed. They were on Senju grounds. Only a Senju had to have given them such a note whether it be true or false, but Hizashi had denied killing a Sarutobi, so it very well may be true.

“Do you believe it?” Neji asked.

“I’d like to,” he responded before flipping it over, “there’s more on the back.”

“What does it say?”

“Tsunade has never enjoyed the Senju business. In an attempt to start a gang war, she killed a Sarutobi and put it on the Akatsuki. She pinned it on Hizashi Hyuga to get the Sarutobi to spark a war with the Uchiha and Akatsuki in hopes of them finally destroying what was left of the Senju. She is resentful towards those who forced her into the business and no longer cares about what happens to her,” Shikamaru read aloud, “now her drinking habit makes sense,” he commented.

“Which is why the shooting occurred, the officer was killed, and his killer was arrested,” Neji finished.

“But I doubt she’s been freed. Then again, we’ve been gone for a while; we don’t know anything. There’s more,” Shikamaru informed before continuing, “it is true that the Akatsuki began to overpower the Senju, so Tsunade, being Hashirama’s most trusted worker, hid everything she did and suggested that the Senju stand their ground. She disguised the conflict as a war for power, so she told Hashirama that they needed to fight, otherwise the Senju would crumble just like the Uchiha and become nothing other than the Akatsuki’s subgroup along with the Sarutobi.”

“I suppose Hashirama would never declare war over anything miniscule, so she had to spark it herself,” Neji thought aloud, “he still seemed to be aware of the altercation. Perhaps he truly wishes to ensure our safety while Tsunade knows that the Sarutobi only wish to take revenge once Hizashi arrives.” The two looked to each other, “but who would wish to expose Tsunade’s efforts in the demolition of her grandfather’s organization?”

“Well, I’m thinking either Dan or her brother.”

“Why her brother?”

Shikamaru shrugged, “I don’t know. She just yelled at him, but she’s been giving Dan hell ever since we’ve known them.”

“Are they not divorced?”

“They are which could only be another motive. It seemed like he still loved her, but what happened tonight could’ve been a final straw,” Shikamaru said as he perched himself up on the bar’s surface. He looked to Neji who seemed to finally be making sense of the events that twisted and turned around them, “or,” the Nara began which dulled Neji’s expression, “it could just be someone watching closely. There’s no saying for sure, but I’d put money on it being Dan.”

“You are typically right, anyways,” Neji dismissed.

“Alright then, so Tsunade is playing her grandfather for a fool just like we are,” Shikamaru summed up, hopping down from the bar. He approached the door and opened it catching Neji’s immediate attention.

“Shikamaru, what are you…”

“Figures,” Shikamaru deadpanned. He faced Dan who seemed to have been debating on either knocking or leaving them with the note alone. Dan kept his gaze to the ground. His face was much different from its typical cheer. He seemed a bit drained, “why’d you give us that note?”

“I gave up everything to be with her,” he continued to speak to the hall’s carpet, “I could tell after the first few years that she could take me or leave me. We were married and I thought things would get better,” he smiled, “turned out she’s the granddaughter of some mafia leader. I had to keep secrets and distance myself from those I loved but Shizune never gave up. She followed me into it. I let her get too close now she works at a strip club up north that traffics innocent people and launders money,” his eyes were almost foggy, “she knows nothing else. Tsunade decided she was tired of having me around, so she left. We separated, but I could never truly untie myself from her. I still loved her. I wanted to help her, and I was foolish deep enough to never turn back. I sacrificed my average life for her, lost it and lost her too. Even though I follow orders and help her out of situations she puts herself in, she still looks like she could spit in my face and leave me to die. She doesn’t even look at me,” his smile died, “she hasn’t loved me for a long time. I wasn’t able to shake it. She appreciated nothing I did. I tried to give her everything that she meant to me, but she didn’t know how to be happy. She told me everything even her plan, but I can’t help her through everything anymore.”

Shikamaru watched the man as he went through the phases of acceptance.

“I told you because I wanted Neji to know that his father isn’t guilty of the murder. I tried to tell Hashirama, but he loves his granddaughter more than anything. He started to address me differently and stare at me more often. He still smiled, but after a while I realized that he could take me or leave me too. I got scared, scared that he’d send someone after me and that would be it. He would never listen to me over her even if it were obvious. I just don’t want to bend over backwards for her or her twisted family anymore. There’s too much blood on their hands. At first, I thought her plan was good, but everything was moving so slowly. We’re still in the threat of war which puts all of us in the dead center. She wasn’t thinking about the rest of us though. She only acted on her own.”

Shikamaru listened as he wondered what they could do with the information. There wasn’t much that they could do on their own without someone else to bring it to light.

. . .

Shikamaru faced the woman who sat behind the glass of the table. She had shoulder-lengthed, brown, messy hair along with a pale complexion. She was thin with dark circles under her eyes. Even in prison she seemed to fight.

“Who are you?” The woman asked.

Shikamaru removed his hands from his pockets and leaned against the surface, “Sarutobi?”

The woman seemed more engaged by the addressment.

“A Sarutobi was killed. Who was it?” Shikamaru asked.

“I’m not doing this again.”

“I found who did it.”

Her face stiffened before her attention fell to the table between them.

“Who was killed?” The Nara repeated.

“What does it matter?”

“I just need all the factors in this mess to sort through it.”

“Just keep my son out of this,” she demanded, leaning forward.

“No one is touching your son,” Shikamaru assured, unsure of who she was referring to.

“Where is he?”

“I don’t know your son.”

The woman stared to him through wide eyes as if what he had said was beyond untrue, “Konohamaru Sarutobi. He’s the son of Hiruzen, an important political figure. Don’t lie!”

Shikamaru looked around to see if any guards would respond to her outburst, “Yeah, well now I know. He’s staying with a friend last I heard. Now, who was killed?”

The woman leaned back. Nothing about her told him that her guard had lowered much, “who are you working for?”

“No one, answer the question so we can sort this out.”

“Who killed him?”

Shikamaru sighed leaning back before sliding his hands into his pockets, “a Senju.”

Her eyes widened. She went still.

“Who was it that was killed?”

“The Senju killed my husband,” she spoke quietly. It was more as if she were telling herself. It was her husband that Tsunade had killed as well as Konohamaru’s father most likely. Shikamaru wondered if the boy knew. He wondered how much the boy knew more than anything. It only felt like more weight to carry as he stood from his seat. His motion snapped the woman out of her daze, “where are you going?”

“Back to figure this thing out.”

“Can you tell my son that I’m okay, and that I’m sorry?” She rushed, “just don’t tell him about his father, please! I want to see him,” she put begged.

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder and nodded before continuing through the prison.

The Nara approached the van and climbed into the passenger seat as Neji fastened his seatbelt, “did you find anything out?” The Hyuga questioned.

“She’s Konohamaru’s mom, Tsunade killed his dad, and the kid has no idea what happened to his family,” Shikamaru put plainly as if the news wasn’t ground breaking for them.

Neji faced the wheel and envisioned the boy that they saw standing under Naruto’s wing at the mall not long ago. He seemed down but only because he was under the impression that his family had gone missing most likely. All of his family went almost all at once without telling the boy the truth Neji was sure. The Hyuga gripped the wheel and placed his foot on the gas as the matter swelled.

“We’ll worry about him later. We just need to get to the station and let the Uchiha know that none of their men killed the Sarutobi,” Shikamaru said.

“Shikamaru?”

“Yeah?”

“What is your plan?” Neji finally asked. The Nara seemed to move without discussing things thoroughly.

“We need to turn everyone against the Senju. If any Sarutobi visit her in prison, then she’ll be able to tell them the truth. Once the Uchiha find out their side was innocent this whole time, then it should fire them up enough to cross the final line of it being a cold war and an actual arms war.”

“You are trying to fuel the war?”

“The ANBU aren’t moving fast enough. As long as the Senju are around, politics will be corrupted, and people will be trafficked. The Senju and Sarutobi will probably keep tracking our dads as long as they’re off the ANBU radar too, so there’s that,” he positioned his head against the back of his seat and rested his eyes as Neji drove.

The Hyuga couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous towards the Nara’s plan. It seemed to be well thought out, but they were playing with powerful pieces. He could only wonder about what would become of the situation if they were to misstep. Still, he left it up to Shikamaru who seemed to keep a level head in it all whilst Neji hadn’t a clue of where to go from where they stood currently.

. . .

The girls stared to the two boys in disbelief. Konohamaru’s uncle, grandfather, and father were all killed. Now, his mother sat in jail bitterly. The first question was the one that Shikamaru would have to deal with later.

“Does he know?” Hanabi asked.

“No,” Shikamaru admitted as he ran a hand over the back of his neck uneasily, “she told me to keep it from him, however long we can keep that up.”

“Well,” Hiashi began, “how does you telling her help us?”

“We’re gonna use it to…” Shikamaru was interrupted by polite taps against the apartment’s front door. He lazily drifted back a step and spun on his heel to answer it.

“Good morning!” Hashirama beamed over his mug of tea, “let’s begin, shall we?”

. . .

“Earth Country? What are they doing there?” Hashirama asked.

“Beats me. My dad’s never home and Neji barely knows his. For the longest he thought Hiashi was his dad, but,” Shikamaru simply sunk further into the sofa with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Could they still be running from the Akatsuki?” The elder questioned.

“Probably. Dad called me through a pay phone. It’s the only reason I know. Hiashi told us they knew each other for some time, so it makes sense for Hizashi to be somewhere with him,” Shikamaru lied.

“I see,” Hashirama said after sipping the warm liquid.

The girls remained in the bedroom as the questioning commenced. Neji and Hiashi kept quiet as the nonchalant Nara spoke for all of them.

“I just want him to bring his ass back to work so the Akatsuki Can stop breathing down my neck,” the Nara put simply.

Hashirama laughed heartily, “well, I’ve been meaning to ask you, where have you all been for so long?”

Neji and Hiashi froze. It seemed that whoever used to communicate with them through the phone left out key details when it came to relaying the messages to the man. Neither of them thought to think of an answer to the question before sitting down with the Senju.

“In all honesty,” Shikamaru began. The two Hygua prayed that the boy could think quickly when put under the pressure of the sudden moment, “we were trying to escape the Akatsuki, so I don’t blame our dads. I could see the Akatsuki taking over as we went. They were everywhere we were and beyond that.”

“Yes, their grounds seem limitless, don’t they?” Hashirama frowned, “I told my brother that we should expand, but he is more set on eliminating our rival. I regret using that word because I enjoyed having them as partners. It was simple without any of these mishaps and obstacles and secrets and shootings,” he smiled, “all good things must come to an end, I guess,” he sipped his green tea.

Shikamaru nodded as Dan sat next to Hashirama, writing notes for later use.

“Dan, did you write down Earth Country? Really important,” Hashirama said.

“Yes, sir,” Dan nodded before sneaking a glance to Shikamaru who pretended to miss it.

. . .

“Why did you keep Kabuto’s death a secret?” Neji asked from where he sat on the other side of the bar. Once again, it was their turn to monitor the apartment through the late hour.

“If I said he was dead, Hashirama might’ve been too quick to take his mind off the Akatsuki. They might still be functioning, and we need his protection,” Shikamaru explained.

“Can we trust Dan?” Neji asked.

Shikamaru shook his head unknowingly, “it doesn’t matter anymore. Whether it really was Tsunade who shot Konohamaru’s dad or not, it works in our favor.”

Neji opened his mouth to add to it before simply sitting on what was said. It did work in their favor. It was much too late to play fairly considering that everyone around them wasn’t. They had to do whatever it took to keep their heads above it all.


	86. Chapter 86

Hinata entered the living room in search of her elder brother, “Neji, where is…”

Gunshots.

Shikamaru quickly rounded the kitchen counter and ran to the girl who had already taken off towards the back end of the apartment like it was a second nature. No questions were asked as bullets flew from outside of the apartment.

“Come on, come on!” Hiashi called from the back.

Again, Hanabi was calling for her father on the brink of crying due to being alarmed so suddenly by a familiar sound that was only ever linked to a horrendous outcome.

“Where is your brother?” Hiashi asked the girls before looking to Shikamaru, “where is he?”

“Restroom,” the Nara answered.

Hiashi began to leave the group when the gun fire came to a stop. Soon came a muffled yell. Hiashi furrowed his brows as he left the room, keeping from the front door that seemed to have been left untouched. Again, the yell came, “Get out of there!” It was Dan. Hiashi looked through the peep hole to spot the man begging them to exit the building. Hiashi placed his hand on the knob before a loud blast came, destroying the wall and launching him back. He heard ringing and opened his eyes to find nothing by roaring flames where Dan had once been. He was gone, lost to the destruction. Hiashi struggled to lift himself after the shock. His ears still rang sharply as his head banged from the impact of the floor. Neji appeared in his peripheral but nothing he said registered. He allowed the boy to help him up and saw as the others entered the scene. The room quickly began to fill with smoke. He watched as Shikamaru threw a chair through the window. They were a number of floors up that none of them could count. They would die if they were to jump.

“The kitchen,” he remembered, “the ocean.”

“What?” Hinata asked as she helped move their father.

“We have to jump,” the Nara said as they rushed to the bar area, “we don’t have a choice.” He used a bar stool to break the glass enough to allow them to jump without getting caught in rigid shards, “when we land, find him,” Shikamaru ordered looking to Hiashi who had been passing through being unconscious and just barely alert.

“I can’t,” Hanabi shook her head as she backed away.

“We need to,” Shikamaru urged.

“Hanabi,” her elder sister called. She held a hand out for her, “we’ll go together,” she gripped the smaller hand firmly holding her gaze, “close your eyes. Don’t look, it’ll make it scarier. It’s water; it’ll catch us. We’ll make it. The only thing to worry about is it being cold, but it’s better than the fire, I promise.”

Hanabi jumped up and down in place before ripping her hand from her sister’s grip.

“Hanabi!” Shikamaru exclaimed impatiently.

The girl kept her eyes shut tightly as she jumped up and down, “Fuck! Shit! Bitch! Damn! Hell!” She cursed and cursed before running and throwing herself from the building with a loud scream. It took the rest of them by surprise, but it worked.

Hinata coughed from the smoke that followed them from the rest of the apartment. It began to grow dangerously hot in the kitchen area because of how open the apartment was. There were no walls separating them from the growing flames that ate the building around them.

“Hinata,” Neji spoke, gripping her arm. He caught the attention of the girl who began to fall into her own fear the longer she stared to the distance. She watched her sister’s head bob up and down.

“Come on!” Hanabi called, “It’s not that bad!” She yelled.

Hinata cracked a nervous smile before shutting her eyes. Glass began to crack in the back of the apartment as the walls creaked. She let out a small yelp before jumping, covering her face. Neji kept his widened eyes on the girl as her figure shrunk in the distance. The splash was loud due to the accumulated velocity. Suddenly, he felt madly discouraged. He looked to the boy next to him who stared to the two who had already endured the fall.

“Shit,” the Nara cursed.

“Do not say that,” Neji complained.

Shikamaru looked to him, “desperate times call for desperate measures,” the boy said before leaning until he fell through the window. It was the laziest fall Neji had ever seen, but it was casual. His heart raced as he watched the Nara until he caused new ripples in the sea.

“Come on Neji!” Hanabi yelled, “toss Dad! We got him!”

“Neji!” Shikamaru yelled.

Neji eyed their ant-sized heads that swayed whichever way the water washed them.

“Neji, hurry up!” The Nara yelled.

Neji heard something fall behind him. A bit of the apartment’s ceiling crashed against the marble floor, scattering bits of dry wall with it.

“What… what?!” Hiashi yelled coming back to his senses to face broken glass that looked over the ocean stories below them, “hold on, Neji what’s going on?!”

Neji shut his eyes and forced himself to shove the man from his arms and through the window. He listened to Hiashi yell angrily which faded with distance, but the loud splash was unmistakable. Neji kept his eyes shut until he heard the man’s curses emerge from the surface. Oddly, it made him smile. He couldn’t tell if he was truly smiling from the absurdity of it all or not.

“Neji! Come on!” Shikamaru yelled desperately.

Neji let out a heavy breath as he backed away from the window.

Shikamaru stared up to him nervously. He cursed himself for not staying up there to force the boy from the window himself, “Neji!”

Right on cue, the Hyuga raced towards the window and tossed himself from the building. He saw normal life progressed near the water. People watched him as he fell. Some tried to jump into the water to fish them out. It was going to be okay. He convinced himself that he would be okay right before landing in the water. The remaining force of his fall forced him further under water until everything stilled. He simply stayed for some moments before he opened his eyes to find Shikamaru right in front of him holding his breath all the same. The Nara offered him a smile of which bubbles escaped through every which direction. Neji stared right at him, hued in the sea’s deep blue, lightly tainted green by the mix of the sun’s rays against the surface waters. Neji let out a few bubbles of his own. Shikamaru swam towards the surface, urging Neji to follow. The Hyuga watched the boy float to the top before swimming up himself.

They both broke through the water’s surface at the same time and spat water out to the side. Neji gasped, slicking his hair from his face. Shikamaru let out a laugh that was suppressed when they were placed in the impossible situation. Neji only watched him as his own smile began to grow.

“Shit, my eyes burn,” Shikamaru said.

“Mine too,” Neji admitted.

It was ocean water after all; the salt was never kind. All it did was fuel the Nara’s laughter until Neji let out a couple of his own.

“Guys!” Hanabi called from the dock, wrapped in a stranger’s jacket.

The two looked to find that they were the only ones remaining in the water.

“What are you two doing?!” Hiashi yelled from right next to her.

Neji looked back to Shikamaru who only smirked and sunk back into the deep blue. Neji met him below the surface. He looked to the Nara who tilted his head towards the dock. Neji nodded and together, they took off towards the dock that creaked over the ocean water.

. . .

“That had to be an attack. I’m thinking Sarutobi,” Shikamaru guessed.

“That was fast,” Neji commented.

“What was fast?” Hiashi asked.

The two turned to face the three that trailed them just as dripping wet as they were.

Neji looked to the Nara that faced the man.

“I think the Sarutobi might be turning against the Senju,” Shikamaru explained.

“Who? What’s going on?” Hiashi was not as familiar about the relationships of the groups if he knew about the groups at all. Shikamaru had explained it vaguely just yesterday.

Shikamaru stared to the man wondering where to begin as his hair dripped icily against the back of his neck. He wondered if the man’s memory had just left him upon being hit in the head. He considered just letting time facilitate his recollection.

“Should we hide?” Hanabi asked.

“Do you think Hashirama died in the explosion?” Neji asked.

“I don’t know. It would make sense, but something tells me it might not be that easy,” the Nara said as he looked away from the group that seemed to be tugging from different ends of him simultaneously.

“Where do we go?” Hinata asked second.

Shikamaru looked to the three before looking over his shoulder to find Neji watching him. They were all asking him for direction. He rolled his shoulders before slouching with a sigh. He mumbled something under his breath before looking around the city, “we can’t turn to those we know without bringing danger to their doorstep, so…” he continued to search his mind for answers.

. . .

“Of course, we were framed,” Obito laughed hysterically. The rest of the officers behind him let the information hit them like a sudden wave. It was almost of relief, but it quickly turned into either confusion or resentment.

“Hashirama’s apartment was blown up this morning,” Shikamaru said, freezing the room around him. Every other voice came to a stop, “I’m thinking the Sarutobi attacked them.”

“Why would they attack the Senju?”

“Because the Sarutobi’s killer was a Senju. I only told them the truth and they ran with it,” the Nara explained.

“Well,” Obito looked over the rest of the station before eying the boy, “is he dead?”

Shikamaru shrugged, “Orochimaru is dead. He was killed by Kabuto who acted as his servant. I think he might’ve been operating behind Orochimaru’s back for some time leading up to then, but then I killed him, so we can’t exactly get any answers,” he mentally scolded himself for his brashness, “I can’t tell you if the Akatsuki are still around, but I know that they suffered a lot of casualties after they kidnapped us. The ANBU killed a lot of them, but they had someone working with the Akatsuki in the ANBU office, so we can’t assume anything until the legit ANBU arrive and do what they need to do to make sure neither of the groups recoup.”

Each worker froze in place as they stared to Shikamaru. They watched the boy, incapable of believing that someone of his stature would have wreaked so much havoc within two notorious organizations all within the span of a few months. He offered them a bored expression that only made his story all the more unbelievable.

“Makes sense,” Obito looked to his shoes and placed his hands on his hips, “we haven’t gotten any side tasks for a bit.”

The door opened to the station gathering the gazes of everyone present.

“Mr. Hatake,” Neji said aloud.

The man who had entered looked to his long-lost student, “Neji?” His eyes widened. He dropped the bagged croissant on the front desk, “that’s yours Obito.” He then stopped right in front of Neji before looking over everyone else in longing, “we were worried about you. Where… well what’s going on, where have you been?”

“Far from here,” Neji answered vaguely.

Kakashi stared to the boy looking for anything that would lead onto anything more specific. He furrowed his brows after failing to find anything that would give him a better idea, “your family and Shikamaru. They’re here too. We only found an empty house after there was no sign of any of you for weeks,” he said.

Neji nodded, “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Kakashi placed an easy hand against the Hyuga’s arm, “don’t be. I’m sure that whatever the reason was, it was a good one. You disappeared. Your friends told me that they saw you not long ago. They said you two appeared in the mall with some strange man, then you went to Kiba’s house with a gun? They said that you two were held at gun point before getting into a stranger’s car…”

“Who’s to say the Senju won’t blame the explosion on us?” Obito interrupted. His mind was still stuck over the matter regarding the issue between their two rivals. The loud crashing of the station’s doors being swung open triggered him to spin towards the doors, gripping his utility belt. A group of individuals pooled through the doors angrily.

Everyone turned to face the newcomers who stood angrily, “free her,” one man demanded.

“Free…” Obito approached the spokesman, “who?”

“You know damn well who,” the stranger threatened through clenched teeth, “get her out of there or we’ll go to war. To hell with the Akatsuki and Senju. This is between us.”

“It never was between us. It was between the Uchiha and the Senju until they beat us to a pulp. Now we’re a subgroup to some gang that barely exists anymore,” he said stepping towards the snack that Kakashi had brought him, “she killed my partner, so we tossed the one responsible in jail.”

“You broke our agreement.”

“Whose agreement? It’s not ours. It’s the one between the Akatsuki and Senju, but you said to hell with them, so her sentence still stands,” Obito said with a mouth full of bread. The man on the receiving end had a quick temper but that much was evident as soon as he stepped through the station’s doors. Now, he stepped towards Obito who tried to reach for his taser only for his jaw to come into rough contact with a harsh fist, knocking him back against the counter.

Another officer stepped up to pry him off only for another Sarutobi to kick him off. Soon, the loop continued until a full fight broke out. An office worker tossed a chair over the counter, landing against a rather large man who sent it flying back, knocking the man unconscious. An Uchiha whipped out a baton and banged it against the heads of as many Sarutobi as she could until another woman tackled her and began choking her against the ground. One Sarutobi delivered a gut crushing kick to an unsuspecting Uchiha who was saved by one of his own and together they double teamed the man. The fight grew and grew, tossing papers and pens into the air.

Neji along with the others rushed behind the front desk. The Hyuga looked to Shikamaru who sank to the floor right next to him, but the Nara’s face was calculating as opposed to fearful. Neji furrowed his brows wondering what the boy could have connected right in that moment when they could be seconds from hearing the first round of gun fire. Suddenly, the Nara rose to a stand.

“Shikamaru!” Hiashi’s tone was demanding.

The Nara stood on top of the front desk and looked over the chaos and shook once two fighters slammed against the surface.

“Hey!” He shouted loudly using the force from his gut. It was successful in turning heads, “you have a common enemy now! The Senju fooled you both into destroying each other, that much is clear. You should be angry at them, not each other. The Senju killed the Sarutobi and framed it on you,” Shikamaru repeated, looking to Obito, “which is the only reason why you,” he looked to the Sarutobi who held Obito in a head lock, “killed someone on the Uchiha’s end. Open your eyes. You’re fighting because of personal loss. They’re all losses caused by the Senju before anyone else.”

The Sarutobi who fought Obito released the Uchiha and fully faced the Nara who he perceived to be a child who disrupted what he thought to be a fair fight, “alright, well then, where’s Hiruzen and Asuma, huh?”

Shikamaru tried to keep from revealing just how much he had choked on the mention of the two, “you want the truth?”

“I’m tired of the lies,” the man scowled, “of course I want the truth, kid!”

“Dead,” Shikamaru announced. Their volumes overlapped, but it seemed to have silenced the disgruntled man, “they were killed by Hidan, a man who worked for the Akatsuki,” Shikamaru looked to his feet before continuing, “I killed him.” He felt hypocritical for discouraging them from taking their anger out on each other after killing someone who had only been following orders. Truly, he should have killed Orochimaru in cold blood and felt nothing towards Hidan according to the logic he was preaching.

“Why did he kill them?” Obito asked next.

“What? You don’t know?” His opponent spat.

“No. They don’t tell me the reasons behind their every move. We only do their dirty work. We don’t get to ask questions,” Obito hissed.

“Hidan was a psychotic maniac that needed to be put down,” the Nara continued causing Neji’s blood to run cold from where he sat behind the desk, “now that you know the truth, aim higher,” he pointed to the ceiling, “the ones higher up are your enemies, not each other.”

The countless men and women on the floor sealed their lips and took time to let the boy’s words sink in though they seemed reluctant to do so. Some returned to glaring to the opposite group, tempted to let the smallest thing rekindle their aggression.

“They’ll keep playing you like ventriloquists,” Shikamaru reminded them, “You could end this if you just work together long enough to get them off your backs.”

The newly presented idea seemed to slow their wishes to force each other’s hands to the next person’s throat.

“We bombed them,” the spokesman for the Sarutobi began, “They should be as good as gone. You aren’t talking about their guys,” he tilted his head towards the Uchiha, “What about the Akatsuki?”

“The Akatsuki lost two leaders and had a lot of their men killed by the ANBU. They shouldn’t be as big as they once were. I’m sure if their followers weren’t shot, then they were discouraged and just went home if they weren’t arrested. They’ve been quiet for a while. Your explosion this morning should have killed a number of the Senju, but I’m sure they’re still creeping around the place. Our biggest concern is the Senju anyways. Just focus on them,” he informed before stepping down from the desk calmly, “if we hear anything about the Akatsuki we’ll let you know.” Shikamaru knocked on the front desk’s surface, “come on,” he ordered those who had taken shelter behind it. Slowly, Neji, Hiashi, Hinata, Hanabi, and Kakashi stood and looked to all the damage that had been done by the groups who called themselves only being at odds. One of the ceiling beam lights flickered dangerously before going out.

The group walked out of the station’s shattered glass doors and through the parking lot which cars had seemingly been keyed or damaged in some fashion by the Sarutobi.

“So, what now?” Hanabi asked, holding herself much like Neji typically did.

“All I know is that the Senju don’t have henchmen anymore,” the Nara answered before spotting a bus not too far from them.

“Where are we going?” Neji asked.

“Doesn’t really matter as long as its away from here,” Shikamaru responded before taking after the vehicle.

As they boarded it however, the questions did not end.

“Should we stay in Konoha?” Hiashi asked.

“Should we duck?” Hanabi wondered aloud as she nervously surveyed the bus.

“Should we hide?” Hinata pressed on.

“One thing at a time,” Shikamaru groaned as he ran his hands over his face, collapsing in a seat, “let me sit for a second, then I’ll figure out how to avoid getting killed again, okay?” His tone sounded a bit more on edge than normal, but it was sensical. It was only surprising that it took this long for him to crack even slightly.

“Our fathers,” Neji said, “perhaps we should check on them.”


	87. Chapter 87

“Of course, they’re gone,” Shikamaru sighed, tossing a pillow back onto the couch.

“Were they taken?” Neji asked.

“I don’t fucking know,” the Nara fell against the couch and shut his eyes. He was tired. He was only the last to show it.

Neji’s face softened at realizing this, “we can rest here until we figure it out.”

“Yeah, or until we get shot,” the Nara mumbled from where his face was buried in the pillow, “or blown up or whatever they feel like doing.”

“Shikamaru, is this your laptop?” Hiashi asked from the kitchen.

“If it’s black with a broken frame, then yeah,” the Nara called out.

“I’m sorry about breaking your laptop,” Neji apologized.

“It was already broken,” Shikamaru assured before turning over on the couch.

“It looks like someone just used it,” Hiashi added.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows before pushing himself up from the couch. Neji entered the kitchen followed by his sisters and the Nara. The first thing they noticed was the dust that was collected after being gone so long, but in the dust were fresh fingerprints. Someone had just used the computer. Shikamaru tapped the keyboard and waited as the computer hummed to life which was another indicator that it had just been used; the computer should have been long dead. The Nara logged in using his underwhelming password and found a virtual document displayed on screen before anything else. It was a note and he read it aloud, “We went back to Earth Country. If we were caught in the lie, you two could have been held accountable. It’s safest this way. Don’t follow us. If we make it out of this, I’ll get you a new laptop,” he finished. It had obviously been typed by Shikaku. Shikamaru let out a sigh through his nose and shut his eyes.

“Maybe they’ll find Haku and Itachi and Sasuke,” Hanabi tried, “right?”

Shikamaru did not move.

“Do any of you know why my penthouse blew up?” A voice called from outside of the front door.

Each of them froze. Their hearts stopped. They had prayed and prayed that the man along with the others had perished in the explosion if not the flames.

“It’s going to be a pain to clean. I went out to shop for some groceries this morning and came back to what looked like a giant torch because the building is so tall, you know? I saw the firemen with their water hose trying to put it out the best way they knew how,” Hashirama laughed, “the building’s just so tall.”

He kept the same light-hearted demeanor as always as he confronted those who he was sure were responsible.

“Come outside already. We know you’re in there,” Tsunade called. She was here too.

“I told you it was a trick,” Tobirama could be heard next.

Hashirama hushed him, “I’m going to let them explain before we jump to conclusions. Come outside, we’re unarmed. We just want to understand what happened. You were there, weren’t you? This morning? I think Dan was too. It’s sad what happened.”

Hiashi opened the front door and looked to the three

“Ah!” Hashirama lit up at the response at long last, “there you are. I was beginning to think that Tobirama was mistaken when he said he saw someone in the window.”

Hiashi said nothing.

“Can we come in?” Hashirama smiled.

. . .

“You wanna know something?” Hashirama asked from where he sat on the living room couch, “well, I’m old. It’s a story, you know how old timers love to share stories,” he smiled charmingly as Tsunade took the steaming teacup from his hand, “well, where do I begin?”

“Where you always begin,” his granddaughter mumbled.

“Great idea! Well, long ago our rivals weren’t the Akatsuki. Our rivals were the Uchiha. They were a powerful foe back then. They were very intimidating. They were cold blooded killers but not so much today. Today, the Uchiha are,” he trailed off looking for the right word to describe it, “smaller and more submissive. I’m sure if Madara we’re still here, he wouldn’t have allowed it. Anyways, we finally shrunk them down to size some years back. It was a relief until the attacks began all over again. This time, the Uchiha weren’t working alone; we figured out that there was a bigger, newer gang in the ring,” his smile grew, “any guesses?”

“The Akatsuki,” Shikamaru answered.

“The Akatsuki! Now, where was I?” He searched the old wood beneath his feet, “ah, yes! Well, we were glad that our oldest rival shrank, but the Akatsuki proved to be a bit of a challenge. They seemed to grow and gain new members with each passing week, so the Senju sent out its fighting members to stop them, but that’s back when my father and brother were killed.”

Tobirama visibly tensed at that.

“There just so happened to be another gang but they were smaller and were just street rats if anything, but they came in handy. They were the Sarutobi of Konohagakure and turned out to be ruthless. It was a surprise,” he laughed, “for them to have been so small, they had a lot of fire. You’d think they smoked gun powder,” he laughed again, smacking his stiff brother on the shoulder. It was amazing that the two were related let alone full brothers, “where was I? Tsuna?”

“The Sarutobi.”

“Yes, yes, the Sarutobi!” He laughed, “We promised them protection if they added to our organization. They didn’t seem to have any bigger goals other than running amuck in Konoha’s streets, so they mindlessly shook our hands and promised us their service and lives and what not,” he waved away and sipped from his teacup before handing it back to Tsunade who took it silently.

Shikamaru watched the cold woman. Given what had happened to Dan that morning, she seemed rather calm if not nonchalant. It only confirmed Dan’s concerns. She never cared for him.

“So, they were loyal for years and years until this morning which seemed so sudden especially with your arrival,” Hashirama continued before stopping to look them over with a smile, “do you know of what happened?”

Hinata shook her head along with her sister.

“No,” Shikamaru answered calmly.

“I didn’t take you five as the type to carry massive explosives anyways. The Akatsuki couldn’t be involved, could they?” Hashirama guessed on.

Shikamaru shrugged, “we woke up and there was this explosion. We jumped from the building and just went to the next place we knew which was my house,” he motioned towards the abode over their heads.

Hashirama nodded slowly, keeping the same cheerful grin. Finally, Tsunade slammed the teacup to the coffee table before walking out impatiently. Tobirama stood to follow after her until his elder brother held a hand out to stop him, “Dan is dead,” he reminded the younger, “give her space.”

So, she cared more than she let on.

“Well, I believe we have everything we came for. The explosion was scary, though. It was very unexpected. It has to be Kabuto. I didn’t expect him to get here so soon,” the man went on as he tried to stand only to sit back down with a laugh, “Tobirama help your older brother up.”

Tobirama grunted as he stood and helped the other up.

“Well, thank you for your time,” Hashirama thanked before making his way through the door calling for his granddaughter.

. . .

“They know where our dads are and seem to suspect us of the explosion,” Neji said.

“So, they probably don’t have a reason to protect us anymore,” the Nara continued.

Hinata and Hanabi had fallen asleep together in Shikamaru’s room while the rest stayed up to talk things over.

“We don’t know a thing about the Akatsuki and where they stand now, and I can’t read Hashirama at all,” the Nara admitted, “at least we don’t have to worry about repercussions regarding our dads not actually being in Earth Country, but I’m sure the Senju are on the fast track to finding them and killing them, so the only ones we need to protect now are ourselves,” his grip on the counter tightened until he noticed Neji’s stare from the corner of his eye. The boy then turned to face Hiashi who stared to the floor. It was a stare that was empty and worn from the day’s events added onto every choice they made to lead them up to then. All Hiashi did was nod before leaving the kitchen to join his daughters.

“We should sleep,” Neji said once they were alone.

Shikamaru couldn’t help but feel as if he were letting everyone down by retiring now. There had to be something they could do to stay safe. He felt a hand against his shoulder.

“Nara.”

“Yeah, I got it,” the boy said before continuing towards his father’s room along with the Hyuga.

Once there, Shikamaru sat on the bed defeated. Neji watched him from the door.

“You can come in,” Shikamaru said.

Neji walked into the dark room and lowered himself right next to the Nara whose mind needed rest more than anyone else’s in that house, “Shikamaru.”

No answer.

“There is nothing we can do.”

Shikamaru shut his eyes. He regretted the truth.

“You’ve helped us through a lot. You have gotten us far,” Neji’s words sounded like a goodbye, and it only hurt Shikamaru further, “but you can’t change the outcome of everything.”

No answer.

Neji could not tell what had captivated the Nara’s train of thought, so he crawled onto the bed and lied down, “Shikamaru.”

The Nara looked over his shoulder to find Neji gesturing for him to come here. Shikamaru complied and lied next to the male who wrapped the Nara in his arms. They faced one another as Neji held Shikamaru’s head against his chest. They never paid the heating bill, so the room was a bit cool. The Nara brought his arms up to close around the Hyuga’s waist as they lied there uncertain of what would come next now that they’ve lied to rest their own efforts in shaping their paths. No one could help them. Shikamaru began to subconsciously rub the Hyuga’s back gently as his mind wandered.

“Nara?”

Shikamaru heard Neji’s voice as it emitted from his chest, “hm?”

“I like you,” the Hyuga said as he brushed a thumb over the Nara’s ear.

Shikamaru eased his eyes shut before chuckling, “you sure?”

“Yes. Why would I not?”

“Gods, are you really confessing on our death bed?”

Neji’s comforting motions stopped at that, and Shikamaru felt it.

“Sorry,” the Nara mumbled the apology. He cursed himself for ruining something he never thought he’d hear, “continue.”

Neji sat up and looked down at the boy since his eyes conveyed emotion for him when all else failed. Shikamaru rolled onto his back and looked up at the other. Much to his surprise, Neji leaned down and brushed a finger over his lips.

“I meant it,” his expression wasn’t as warm as his words which told Shikamaru it was never about what he had said. Neji’s eyes looked to the Nara as something he could lose and Shikamaru was just now realizing it. In response, the Nara’s own eyes softened and bordered a look of sorrow. They could not pretend as if they weren’t afraid because both of them were terrified of the unknown especially when all they knew of the unknown is that it could be their end at any time. They were lucky to get so far after surviving two explosions and a number of abductions and shootings. It had been a miracle, but luck had to run out. The two simply stared to one another the best that they could through the dimness of the room at night. Shikamaru then placed both hands against the other’s head and lowered him to plant an innocent kiss to his forehead much like the one Shikaku gave his son upon their reunion. Neji remembered it. The gesture was sweet and simple. It was sudden but comforted the Hyuga. Neji then lied his head on Shikamaru’s chest before grabbing the Nara’s wounded hand. He raised the hand and planted a light kiss to the scar and placed it back against the bed, but he held it. Shikamaru grasped Neji’s hand in return. He felt the Nara let out a brief bit of quiet laughter before the boy spoke.

“Not to sound like a kid, but this isn’t fair,” he said through a smile.

Neji looked to him, “I know.”

Both of them found a fondness within the other in the end. Neji only wished that he had found it sooner. Shikamaru wished that the Hyuga returned it sooner. All they could do was lie there together and rest hoping to make it until morning.

. . .

Neji’s eyes fluttered open.

“Well, we didn’t die,” Shikamaru pointed out.

Neji lifted his head to focus his sight on the boy who never shifted from beneath him. He squinted and looked down to spot a wet patch in the Nara’s shirt, “I’m sorry,” he apologized before wiping his mouth only to get hair caught in his lips.

“It’s fine. It’s a small pay off for my snoring.”

“You do not snore. It is only when…” Neji looked to the boy through blurred vision before deciding to drop the subject altogether. The Hyuga then stood and opened the door.

“If you need a shower, I’ve got clothes,” Shikamaru said, not moving an inch from where he rested the night prior.

Neji faced him and thought it over before scratching his arm. He could use one.

. . .

“It’s weird. My dad put it in wrong, so if you want hot water, turn it towards the cold. If you want it cooler, then turn it towards the hot end,” Shikamaru explained as he turned on the shower water, “he was always too lazy to actually fix it so we just learned how to do it through trial and error. You know, for a while we just thought we didn’t have hot water,” he stood back and looked to Neji who spat tooth paste into the sink. The Hyuga glanced to him before washing his mouth with a handful of water, “the soap and shampoo is in there. This door is a closet for towels and stuff like that,” he placed his hands into his pockets, “I’ll leave the clothes outside of the door, so when you’re done, they’ll be there. I’m just surprised we still have water.”

Neji nodded before removing his shirt. The Nara watched him and only averted his eyes once the shirt had been fully pulled over the Hyuga’s head. He seemed to either be more comfortable with being seen, or he was still far from fully awake. Shikamaru looked to his tangled locks.

“We have a hairbrush under the sink. Give your family the briefing. I’m gonna go see if we have any food that hasn’t molded over.”

Again, Neji nodded. He had to still be a bit disoriented from their awkward sleep, “thank you,” he said.

The Nara nodded as he passed by the male to reach the hall. He shut the door behind himself and made for his room. The door was still shut, so he decided to continue towards the kitchen.

He opened the fridge to reveal processed foods that seemed to have survived their stay away from town. That is, all except the fruit that molded into a cloudy white. The Nara only stared to it and tossed it onto the counter to get it out of the way for now. He grabbed a can of processed mystery meat and cheese before reaching for white bread. They would have breakfast sandwiches, he decided as he dropped the bread onto the counter and untied the bag’s knot. He gathered enough plates for all of them and placed them onto the counter. He placed two slices on each plate before using a knife to open the canned meat. He heard feet shuffling towards him and waited for a voice to identify them, but telling by the weight of the steps, he already had a pretty good idea.

“What are you making?” Hanabi asked.

“Sandwiches,” he answered, “do you like your bread toasted?”

“What kind of meat is that?” She asked.

“Honestly?” He looked all over the can, “no idea, but it’s all we got.”

“Where’s Neji?”

“Showering. Hey, is everyone else up?”

Hanabi shook her head tiredly, “Hinata and Dad are still asleep.”

Shikamaru continued to work on the can as he listened to the shower water from the back of the house, “can you get a shirt and some pants from my room?”

. . .

Shikamaru set the time on the washing machine to wash all of their clothes once everyone had their turn in the shower. Luckily, the girls showered together to save water. Everyone ate their off-brand sandwiches and wore something from the Nara household whether it be Shikamaru’s or Shikaku’s. It was the most housework the boy had done in a while.

“Okay,” Shikamaru sighed after believing his job for the morning was done. He turned to face Neji who wore some sort of university long sleeved t-shirt along with the Nara’s pajama pants, “what do you wanna do?”

Neji shook his head. The two walked towards the living room where everyone else was seated. They sat next to one another on the ground since the other three Hyuga claimed the couch.

“We’ve got card games,” Shikamaru shrugged. No one seemed too ready to play games with so much going on outside of their knowledge. They were uneasy, too uneasy to deal with cards in a futile attempt to redirect their attention. The Nara figured as much, but he didn’t want to let it sit on his mind for too long. It would drive anyone insane.

“Are we safe?” Hanabi asked.

Shikamaru looked to the girl who had begun searching him for answers as opposed to her own father. The Nara sucked in his lips and held his breath. He decided to look away and shake his head. He couldn’t lie and no one shamed him for it. It was silent and the confirmation of their uncertain position only worsened their mentalities. Still, the Nara looked for things to shift their attention, “stories?”


	88. Chapter 88

They all laughed once the girl concluded her story, “yeah, so basically asked me to go on a date with him if he gave me money, I said yes and got paid, but it was our first and last date,” Hanabi finished. It had taken some time for them all to open up and get comfortable to sort of move the gangs from their main point of focus.

“Damn,” Shikamaru smiled lazily from where he lied against the ground with his arms wrapped underneath his head.

“Hinata, tell them the story at the orthodontist!” The girl exclaimed as she nearly jumped up and down on the couch.

“Oh, well,” she took a second to recollect the line of events, “it was my first day with braces, but when I got home, one of the brackets came off, and Father had to take me back to the orthodontist to get it fixed. When we got there, their mascot was standing outside of the door…”

“Gods,” Hiashi sighed into his hand, “do you have to do this one?”

“Yes!” Hanabi begged.

“The mascot opened the door for me but as soon as I’d try to go through, he would shut the door…” Hinata continued.

“Please, Hinata,” her father begged.

Shikamaru watched the slight smile that appeared on Neji’s face. He had to have already known he story, so she was more so telling it to the Nara. He sat up and faced Hinata who was now smiling even wider.

“He kept doing it over and over. It wasn’t funny anymore. I think he realized that because he let me through but then he closed the door on Father and Father kicked him and shoved him until the mascot’s head came off. They fell to the ground and Father got up and took me to a different orthodontist,” Hinata finished.

“I heard that the mascot lost his job after that,” Hanabi cackled.

“No way,” Shikamaru said trying to fight a smile to spare the man any further embarrassment, “you fought a guy in an animal suit.”

“Alright, new story. This one is about your mother,” Hiashi said to drown out any other noise or snicker. It was effective. “When you were all very little, your mother taught Hinata how to use nail paint.”

“Nail polish,” Hanabi corrected.

“Same thing. She showed Hinata how to use it. I believe it was a purple color. It was a color like,” he looked around the room hoping to find a match, “that one,” he pointed to the university logo on Neji’s chest, “it was a pale purple that she used. She put it on Hinata’s hands and told her to stay very still. Of course, Hinata was obedient. She sat still, but as soon as her mother told her they were dry, Hinata took the nail polish and went to Neji’s room to teach him too,” his smile shrank, “at the time, I was more closed off from what really mattered, so I told you two not to do such a thing, but your mother allowed it. She told me to shut up, so Hinata taught you,” he looked to Neji, “then, you both tried to paint Hanabi’s nails. She wasn’t as patient, though.”

“I don’t remember that,” Hanabi said.

“You were so young,” the man said.

“Being the youngest sucks,” Hanabi complained before falling back against the couch.

“Neji? Any stories?” Hiashi questioned, putting the boy right on the spot.

Neji dropped his gaze as he thought, “There was a time when I ruined something of our grandfather’s. I was only upset about how he would ignore me or look at me as if I were,” he remembered Hizashi’s terminology, “evil. I was young,” he lowered his head in shame.

“What did you ruin?” Hiashi asked.

Neji looked through the window, “I set his house plant on fire.”

“Neji!” Hiashi shouted. Neji had been expecting it, so he did not flinch.

Hanabi and Shikamaru rolled back in laughter at the sudden change of speed. No one could even picture the boy as being so malicious. One would have guessed he marked the wall or maybe chipped a glass at most.

“I watched it burn in his room and waited for it to dry up. I held a cup of water in my hand as I waited. Grandfather caught me. He grabbed the cup and extinguished the plant before slapping me across the face. He gripped me by my arm and tossed me out of his room and shut the door in my face. It was the night that I called you and Mom,” Neji confessed.

Hiashi’s anger diminished, “he hit you?”

Neji nodded, “I still felt as if he was something to fear even if I were angry with him. I only wished to leave, but no one else seemed to have a problem with him, so we stayed,” he looked to Hiashi who could not meet his eyes. It had been two times where Hiashi disregarded the true depth of his father’s actions. He mentally kicked himself repeatedly for it. He had allowed it one too many times now twice.

“I’m so sorry, Neji,” Hiashi apologized to his lap. The burning houseplant was only a byproduct of his father’s mistreating the boy similarly to someone else’s life decisions.

“I never told you about what happened that night, so it is not your fault.”

“No, it is,” Hiashi should have tried to fight his father over the matter of Neji’s adoption and Hizashi’s upbringing, “and I’m sorry.”

Neji knew that the apology went deeper than himself, so he said nothing to challenge it, “do you have any stories?” He asked the Nara who tried to mentally leave the room after the family tension thickened the air.

“Nothing to rival that,” he tried to lighten the mood, “I mean, there was a time I took my dad’s car and drove around with Ino and Choji way before I should’ve been driving. Dad left it for me since he was always gone. We didn’t crash or anything, sorry to disappoint.”

“Thank the Gods,” Hiashi mumbled.

“But we did get into a high-speed car chase.”

“What?!”

“It wasn’t the cops. It was actually Asuma trying to catch us in his own car. He saw us driving past but didn’t see an adult in the vehicle, so he freaked out and tried to save us from our ‘impending doom’,” Shikamaru smiled with a roll of his eyes, “I threw in the towel and let him catch us. He complimented my driving and took us out to eat. This was back when I was still living with Mom. He was cool. We all hung out regularly and he treated us and never told about our driving underage. It was cool for a while until Ino’s parents found out and freaked out which I guess pushed them to really cut ties with us, so it was just me and Choji until he started working for his parents, so I rarely saw him. Asuma and I kept hanging out until he went missing and, you know,” he made a hand gesture that replaced the blatant saying of the man’s passing, “so, yeah,” he kept the lazy smile to the memory.

“Wow,” Hanabi marveled.

“You can’t do that,” her father ordered his daughter, dimming the girl’s enthusiasm instantly.

“Well, now what?” Shikamaru asked, leaning back against his hands. He gave the rest some time to think it over. That is, if they truly thought it over as opposed to regressing back to their doubtful thoughts. He only sighed as he rose from the floor. He walked towards the window and looked through the partially opened blinds to find an empty street. He saw the same houses and the same cars that have been there for years. Nothing was out of the ordinary as far as he was aware.

“Do you see something?” Neji asked.

“No, just checking the weather,” the Nara answered as he watched the dull grass, now yellowed by the cooling temperatures.

“Do they still need something from us?” Hinata asked.

“It’s hard to say. They never really needed anything from us in the beginning if you think about it. They just like messing with people. People with power tend to consider it a hobby,” Shikamaru responded, “but, with the Akatsuki beaten down and our fathers gone,” he shrugged, “the Senju shouldn’t want anything to do with us unless they figure out that I had something to do with the Sarutobi, and I didn’t exactly tell them to keep quiet about it.”

Hiashi slouched in the cushioning of the couch as he massaged the bridge of his nose.

“Wait, what?” Hanabi questioned before a firm couple of knocks came at the front door.

Hiashi stood immediately, looking to everyone else silently beckoning them to keep quiet as he answered the door.

Each of them looked to each other and listened closely to each word and sound beyond the room.

“We’re searching for Shikamaru Nara.”

Shikamaru’s heart stopped. They were here regarding the murders. They were here for the van.

“Who’s asking?” Hiashi questioned.

“We work for the ANBU. Can we have your name please?”

“Hiashi Hyuga.”

“Hiashi Hyuga, we’ve recovered your brother. Would you know where Shikamaru Nara is?”

“What do you need?”

“We found his father as well. Rest assured, both men are safe and being kept by our men. We’ve successfully disbanded the Akatsuki and arrested a number of them in the midst of the operation. We are still trying to tie loose ends as far as how the Senju have been operating for so long but know that we have not given up on your case. You, your daughters, nephew, and brother will be able to leave this all in the past soon enough. If you find Shikamaru Nara, please relay the message to him.”

Neji looked to the Nara who exhaled the anxiety that had rocked his chest.

They listened as Hiashi agreed and wished the man to have a good day before the door shut along with the click of a lock. Hiashi reapproached the living room to find each minor staring to him for any further news.

“They’re safe. I just hope they were legitimate workers,” he offered a weak smile. He knew just like the rest to not get any hope too high until the turn out.

Shikamaru nodded, Neji looked to the floor, and the girls both looked to one another unsure of how to take it.

“Would explain the night of peace,” Shikamaru mumbled as his mind began to wander. He had killed three individuals. He had killed more in the midst of it all, but the three were undeserving unlike the others. With nothing to divert his focus in the comfort of his home and the sudden visit of the ANBU forces, it began to bubble back up.

Neji looked to him as a gentle smile tugged at the corner of his lips before it fell entirely. The two looked to one another for a few silent moments before the silence was broken, “what now?” Hanabi asked as she sank against the couch.

. . .

“He must want to die,” Hiashi commented as the man on Shikamaru’s laptop screen entered a haunted maze.

Neji looked to Hinata who seemed to shrink behind her hands. He gripped her shoulder before the girl leaned against him.

“I hope he dies,” Hanabi put harshly.

“Me too,” Hiashi deadpanned.

Neji then looked to Shikamaru who sat on his left. The Nara had fallen asleep. He tapped the boy’s arm which got him to waken quicker than any other stimulant. Shikamaru let out a loud snore before opening his eyes. It shook everyone especially since they were watching such a horrendous film.

“Shikamaru!” Hanabi complained.

“Fell asleep,” he answered as he rubbed his eyes.

Neji looked to the window. The sun sank, taking its multiple colors down with it. The Hyuga stood and made for the door, motioning for Shikamaru to follow him. The Nara stood with no questions asked.

“Should we pause it?” Hanabi asked before her elder sister let out a sharp scream.

“Hinata!” Her father jumped a bit, ducking his head between his shoulders, “Gods.”

“I’m sorry,” the girl apologized as the man dug his finger into his ear.

“No, do not pause it. I will be back,” Neji said before continuing through the hall with Shikamaru trailing behind him.

“I know it’s not safe, but I have more hope this time,” the Nara spoke quietly.

“I do too, but it scares me.”

“Oh, for sure.”

The two entered his father’s room. Neji tried to lie the Nara down, but Shikamaru wrapped his arms around the Hyuga to keep him from leaving the room. Neji stood and allowed the boy to embrace him for some seconds.

“I told them I would be back,” The Hyuga spoke.

“And you will,” the Nara said as he sat down against the bed. He then leaned forward and sealed the other in his arms again, pressing his face against Neji’s stomach.

“Shikamaru,” Neji said as he placed a hand against his head, “go to sleep.”

A loud victorious yell of a laugh boomed from the room’s door causing both of them to tear away from one another, “I knew it! You like Neji!” Hanabi exclaimed.

“Troublesome,” the Nara mumbled as he finally lied down against the bed and turned away from the girl, but it did nothing to stop her teasing.

“I knew it ever since the dungeon thing! No one would trade places to be tortured for anyone else unless…” Hanabi pointed out.

“Hanabi!” Hiashi called from the living room, “leave them alone!”

“Dad!” She called, intending to share her findings.

Neji frowned.

“I already know! Now, come back! We’re starting a new movie; your sister can’t take horror films!”

Hanabi froze before looking back to the two. She stared to Neji blankly before an ominous grin appeared and spread wider and wider as she eased the door shut. Neji let out a relieved breath before he heard the door swing open again, revealing the girl who continued to look between the both of them maintaining that same devilish grin. She stood idly a bit more. The silence made it all the more odd. She finally gabbed the doorknob and shut the door behind her as her quick footsteps distanced themselves from the door. She was finally gone. Neji shook his head.

“Your sister’s different,” Shikamaru commented keeping his back turned.

“I am aware.”

“Hiashi knows,” Shikamaru realized aloud.

“I believe he noticed how I felt before I did. He has always been adept at it. I hardly had to come out to him.”

“He just knew?”

“Yes,” Neji answered as he sat next to the Nara who turned to face him. It went unsaid that the Hyuga had decided to stay rather than join the others in the next room over.

“The guy at the door said we should be able to get back to whatever we were doing before this whole thing pretty soon,” the Nara reminded the other.

Neji nodded as he stared blankly to the ceiling, “how will we go back to school after all of this time?”

“We’ll probably use holidays to catch up,” the Nara responded, “it’ll be a drag. I might just not graduate early and just start over next year. I don’t know. What about you?”

“I have finished my required courses. I only take classes for college credit now.”

“You’re good to go if you ask me. You’re smart, you’ll catch up,” the Nara shrugged it off as he typically did. He shut his eyes. Neji supposed their situation had been dire enough to excuse them for missing week after week of their academics. Still, he knew he would be a world behind once he stepped foot on campus. That is, if they were truly in the clear.

“Once everything’s back to normal, we could do that stuff Dad mentioned.”

Neji looked to him, “the diners and drive-ins? I thought you said there were no drive-ins around here.”

“There is. I went to one with Ino and Choji when we took Dad’s car out. Asuma gave us the money, and the people who worked there didn’t ask any questions. It’s about half an hour or more out of town, but there’s one. I just wanted my dad to stop. He was being…”

“I understand.”

“Sorry about that,” Shikamaru’s nose twitched as if he wished to grimace at the memory of both his parents’ reactions to Neji. He placed a hand over his eyes as he groaned.

Neji felt a smile threatening to crack through his typically stolid expression, “it could have been worse.”

“Could it?” Shikamaru questioned doubtfully.

“They could have hated me,” Neji put simply.

Shikamaru dropped his arm against the sheets. He supposed they could have been worse after all. He was fortunate to have parents such as his own when it came to the matter, “go to sleep.”

“That is what I told you to do,” Neji shot back with a look of confusion.

“Can I…” Shikamaru moved until he lied against Neji who was now stuck underneath the Nara’s weight.

“Yes,” the Hyuga allowed it before placing a hand to the boy’s back.

“You miss anyone?” Shikamaru questioned.

Neji thought it over. He parted from his group of so-called friends on a bad note. He frowned.

“TenTen, maybe?” The Nara put out there.

“Yes,” he would like to know how the girl had been holding up since everything had happened. He hoped that she was left alone after everything and her mother welcomed her with open arms, “have you?”

“Choji, Darui, Shino, you know that general crowd.”

Neji nodded as he stroked Shikamaru’s back. The boy seemed to have a good circle of reliable friends that tended to stay out of the spotlight. Those who were more well-known knew little about the Nara and his social group, but they seemed to have a more genuine bond. Neji thought back to those who he associated with and felt rather humiliated by everything he had allowed to pile up or move past him only because his seemingly spotless group felt safe. He had no desire to really reach out beyond what was familiar, so he allowed the group to sway him towards wherever they went or whatever they did or tried.

“Remember our first project?” Shikamaru asked.

Neji did remember. He was surprised that the boy was in his class in the first place all that time ago, but even more caught off-guard once they were chosen to work together on a project that required work time outside of class. The two agreed to work under the Nara’s roof. Shikaku wasn’t home back then, and they worked in silence, only speaking when it was absolutely necessary, “I remember.”

“I could tell you hated me,” Shikamaru smiled.

“I thought that you were lazy.”

“I am lazy. I made you do all of it.”

“I remember,” Neji narrowed his eyes as his hand came to a stop against Shikamaru’s back. It just so happened to also be the night that the cycle began.

“Were you told to do it?” Shikamaru asked.

“To do what?”

“Go along with it,” the Nara was hinting towards their first time, “it just didn’t seem like you’d go for something like it.”

“No one told me to kiss you Nara.”

“I was your first kiss, wasn’t I?”

“Yes,” Neji confirmed. He knew that he lied all those nights ago when Hanabi had asked if he’d had his first, and he lied to save the trouble of lying about who it had been, “you were.”

“I could tell.”

Neji furrowed his brows.

“It was weird,” the Nara commented.

Silence.

Shikamaru laughed, “but I liked you – I didn’t know I did until it happened – so it felt amazing. You know, a guy like me would take what he could get, and somehow, I got Neji Hyuga. I remember staying up late thinking about it. I couldn’t sleep. You were The Neji Hyuga known school-wide. I knew some guys who swore they hated you, but I could tell they just wanted you, but I just beat them to it,” he chuckled, “yeah, so I was cocky.”

“Because you kissed me?”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru said as if the question was odd, “I didn’t expect it to continue, but it did. We got an extension to the project and had to choose the same partner,” that night they had explored a bit more just to answer some of their juvenile questions, “long story-short, I couldn’t sleep then either. We got that third project, and you approached me. You didn’t seem happy, but you chose me to have as a partner,” that night, their arrangement had commenced sooner than the last two times once Neji was sure that neither of the boy’s parents would cause a disruption.

Neji flattened his lips, “I know this.”

“Sorry,” Shikamaru had been distracted by reminiscing aloud. Of course, the other knew every detail.

“I was immature to have carried on with it behind my father’s back. We were lucky to have turned out alright. All I knew was that it was something that felt good in the moment. I still felt as though I were doing something shameful which is why I avoided you in school.”

“So, it wasn’t about popularity or something?”

“No, it was only personal. It seemed wrong, and I fooled myself into believing that if I did not speak to you, then I could pretend that it did not happen.”

Silence.

“I am sorry,” Neji apologized.

Shikamaru sighed, “it’s a relief actually. I just thought that you felt I was the lowest in the school’s chaste system or something.”

“No.”

“Oh, okay, then all’s fine,” the Nara dismissed before blowing hot air through the Hyuga’s shirt.

“What are you doing?” Neji asked as the heat became mildly uncomfortable. The hot air stopped. Neji then remembered that the boy sometimes tended to do things without reason, so he let it go unanswered. He was still odd.

“Night,” the Nara said before shutting his eyes.

Neji looked down to the boy and studied him and how his breathing had slowed. He wrapped both arms around him regardless of how peculiar he was before returning his words, “good night.”


	89. Chapter 89

“Well,” Shikamaru began as he looked over the damage of the Hyugas’ home. They seemed to have been robbed since they’ve been gone. When word gets out about one’s absence, it was something to be expected. They only hoped it was a regular robbery unrelated to their associates. There were no ominous messages, but it only worsened their fear. It could have very well been a nonpersonal robbery, but their minds would not allow themselves to consider it truly. His feet came to a stop once he heard a sharp crunch underneath his shoe. He looked down to spot broken glass and leaned down to pick up the broken picture frame. It was of the family along with their mother. She looked just like Hinata and wore her hair just a bit shorter than the length of her shoulders. Her smile was even similar to her eldest daughter’s. He felt someone come to a stop behind him. Neji peered over his shoulder.

“She was very kind,” the Hyuga spoke.

“I can tell,” the Nara responded.

“No! They took my gaming console!” Hanabi exclaimed.

“You spent too much time on it anyways!” Her father shot back from the kitchen.

“They left the controllers,” Hinata tried to calm her angry sister.

“What good are they? Maybe I can connect them to my computer,” the girl paused before gasping. She then ran up the stairs to check if it was still intact, “My computer too?!”

“Damn,” Shikamaru said, “anything you’re worried about?” He asked Neji who had barely explored the house beyond the living area. Neji took for the stairs and Shikamaru followed after placing the broken frame on the nearest table.

The two entered the male’s bedroom. Neji searched for something as the Nara observed the area. It was the first time he’d ever been inside the house.

“They took my computer, but nothing else seems out of place,” Neji said.

“That’s good I guess. Do you have your own bathroom?” Shikamaru admired as he stepped into the vanity. His eyes swept over everything. He could have never imagined living like this. He turned back to look at Neji who entered the room behind him with a nod, “damn,” the Nara raised his brows, impressed by the free space each of the Hyuga members seemed to have to themselves, “I knew you guys were rich,” he said, leaning back against the sink.

“We are not rich.”

Shikamaru looked to him doubtfully, “really?”

Neji shook his head.

“Then what’s this?” The Nara asked, walking back into Neji’s rather spacious bedroom.

“My bedroom,” the Hyuga answered.

“An apartment,” Shikamaru corrected before sitting at his desk, “this is nice,” he complimented as he looked over the spread of the surface.

The door creaked open, “can we stay here tonight?” Hanabi asked.

“I don’t know, ask your dad,” Shikamaru said.

“He told me to ask you,” the girl stared to him hoping that he would grant her that one wish.

Shikamaru found it odd that the man would rely on him to determine something such as staying in their own home, but still, “sure,” he answered with a shrug before the girl ran off excitedly. The boy furrowed his brows and swiveled the chair until he faced Neji who still stood in the bathroom doorway.

“He trusts your intuition,” Neji clarified as he neared the other.

Shikamaru frowned at that. He didn’t wish for the family to depend on him and him only. There were countless times where he did things on a whim or nothing more than a hint. There were too many times where he would double and triple guess himself, “I guess it couldn’t hurt to change locations every now and then,” he said, making up a reason for his decision although his heart was not entirely in the answer.

“Shikamaru,” Hiashi called from down the hall until he appeared in the door, “you can stay with us for as long as you need. I don’t want you to be alone in all of this. It’s too dangerous. Until the ANBU tell us that there is no longer a threat, you will be staying with us. That is an order. Afterwards, you are still welcome here, but please do whatever you see fit,” he said before looking from Neji to the Nara and back. He then left the two once again and continued down the hall.

“At least he doesn’t hate my guts anymore,” Shikamaru said.

“I do not think that he has ever hated you. He only saw you as a possible threat,” Neji explained.

“Threat? Well, he did know my dad a bit. He probably knew what all he got himself into, so he wasn’t wrong,” the Nara then stood from the seat and collapsed against the bed that was so neatly made up from the last time Neji had slept in it. He felt the Hyuga seat himself next to him, “you guys have a guest room?” Shikamaru asked, looking up to the other who offered him a peculiar look.

“Yes,” Neji answered, resting his eyes on his lap, “it is downstairs.”

Shikamaru then shifted to where he sat up similarly to the male next to him. He stared to Neji with a sly smirk, “unless you want me to stay up here,” he offered, looking over the bed. He watched Neji and waited for him to deny it, but deep down he knew that he had hit the nail on the head, “if your dad’s cool with it.

Neji nodded.

“He is?”

Another silent nod.

Shikamaru looked through the window, “think I’ll pass out for now.”

“It is only midday,” Neji pointed out.

The Nara looked to the Hyuga. They shared a stare that told of Shikamaru’s nature; the time on the clock did not affect his levels of energy. He would pass out at any time of the day if given time, and their recent lifestyle hadn’t allowed it. If anything, it was a nap long overdue. Shikamaru stretched before lying against the bed, “you should try it,” he said through a comfortable smile as he shut his eyes.

“Try what?”

“Relaxing,” the Nara answered.

Neji stared to the boy who was seconds away from slipping from the world around them into a slumber that he had been undoubtedly chasing for months. Neji looked all over the room after being presented a new stillness. It was silent. Anything he could have used as a distraction had been taken from them in the robbery. He had nothing else to do, so he moved back towards the Nara and lied down next to him.

“It’s cold,” Shikamaru mumbled a complaint. With them being gone for so long, the thermostat was on a setting that did not match the season all too well.

“Use the sheets,” Neji said.

The Nara hummed in agreement before the two pulled both layers of coverage over each other and sank back into the comfort of the bedding, “night.”

The two faced each other. Neji stared to his relaxed expression, “good…” the Hyuga then looked through the window, “afternoon,” he furrowed his brows.

Shikamaru let out a chuckle before placing an arm over Neji’s side. His features then laxed until the Hyuga was sure that the boy was nearing sleep rapidly. Neji shut his eyes and tried to do the same.

. . .

It was black, still, and silent. It was warm and comfortable. It felt safe until it didn’t. Neji felt his pulse pick up at a threat that had not yet presented itself, but he felt as if something was wrong. They needed to go. Neji opened his eyes, sat up and looked around the room. It was later than it was before. The sky was not quite black, but it was a deeper blue that glowed through the white blinds. Suddenly, he felt the Nara’s hand flail against him before it weakly gripped his chest frantically. Neji grabbed the clumsy hand before looking down to find Shikamaru choking on his own blood. His throat had been sliced and the blood was surging from the cut. The blood was dark and began to pool where their weight indented the sheets. It stained Neji’s shirt and hands along with Shikamaru’s own. Neji was paralyzed. His mouth was left agape as he watched the boy suffer in silence due to being quieted by the deep gash that left him speechless. All that came from his mouth was gurgling up until his eyes rolled up and his hand went weak. It fell against the bed only for Neji to grasp it tighter. The Hyuga looked over the boy. He was panicked even more so by the Nara’s sudden stillness. The only motion was of the blood that continued to drain from him. Neji shook his head as tears welled up in his own eyes. He tried desperately to cover the opening with the sheets. He applied pressure but nothing came from the boy beneath him. He was still.

Neji cried, “Shikamaru!” His tears fell against the boy’s pale cheeks and trickled off, unwiped. He put more of his weight onto the boy’s neck, but he knew that there was no longer any hope. He slowly leaned forward as a silent cry escaped him. He placed his head against the Nara’s and cupped the deceased boy’s face in his bloodied hands.

“Neji,” the Nara spoke against his lips.

Neji opened his eyes to find Shikamaru over him, holding him firmly by his upper arms. The Hyuga’s eyes focused on the Nara who had grounded him from the terror. It was the same time of day that it had been in his dream. Only, this time, the lamp on his bed side illuminated the dim room. Shikamaru casted a shadow over the room as he stared to Neji through concerned eyes.

“You were dreaming, okay?” The Nara informed.

Neji’s eyes widened. He felt a slight dampness in his lashes, telling him right away that he had cried in his sleep. His pulse still pumped his chest strongly. He sst up and held onto the Nara, his grip gradually tightening while his white eyes still conveyed the shock that had shaken him in the nightmare. It wasn’t real.

“What happened?” Shikamaru asked as he returned the embrace.

“Someone slit your throat and I couldn’t do anything. We were still here in bed,” Neji spoke quietly. He looked to where Shikamaru had suffered only moments ago. He could almost trace the stain of blood, “you died.”

Shikamaru plced his hands on the other’s shoulders and pulled him away just enough to look him in one eye then the other, “I didn’t,” he promised. He allowed Neji to stare at him until he was convinced that he never left. The Hyuga simply nodded and blinked himself back to a calmer state, “I had a dream too,” Shikamaru began, “it wasn’t as bad as yours, but it was still pretty bad. Everything was normal. We were still in school. None of this actually happened. There were no gangs, it was just like every other day. You kept letting Kiba treat you like shit, but the thing was that you left me for him. It was weird,” he paused, “I couldn’t understand why you’d let him do that, but you did. All I could do was leave you alone because I didn’t feel like getting my ass handed to me again.”

Neji frowned and leaned towards the boy. Right on cue, the Nara held onto him again. The Hyuga placed his chin over the other’s shoulder as he listened, but it seemed like neither of them were lulled to sleep by dreams of peace.

“I think we slept for a good three hours,” Shikamaru said, pulling Neji’s mind from the fictional horrors, “look at the sky,” Neji did as he was told and looked to find that it had darkened even further, “it’s still kinda early. I guess the seasons really are changing,” Shikamaru rambled.

“It is cooler than usual,” Neji tried to contribute to the conversation.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru agreed as he rubbed the Hyuga’s back, “you think they’re awake?”

. . .

They were the only ones awake. The others must have figured that there was nothing left to do, so each of them was shut off in their own rooms catching up on sleep that had evaded them throughout the run.

Neji watched as Shikamaru poured oil into a pot and allowed it to heat. He was making popcorn it seemed. The burglars stole a few snacks, and the produce had spoiled over during their time away, so he had to choose something nonperishable.

“Do you like salt on yours or are you more of a kettle guy?” The Nara asked.

“I usually put nothing on popcorn.”

Shikamaru only stared to the male blankly but he was far from surprised, “okay,” he said before turning back to pour the kernels into the pot. He put in a bit too much in Neji’s opinion, but he allowed the boy to have at it, “I’ll just leave it plain and put the toppings to the side for anyone who shows up later,” he said before placing the top on the pot and turning to face the other. Shikamaru gently swayed side to side as he stared to Neji.

The Hyuga watched him cluelessly, wondering if the boy had gotten enough sleep to function.

Shikamaru could see the question in his stare, so he answered with a shake of his head to dismiss his concerns, “a song,” he said, but there was no music to be heard. The Nara tapped his own temple. Of course, it was a song that only played in his head.

“What song is it?” Neji asked.

“Remember that song from Itachi’s car? We were driving to the beach house, and your sister was belting the lyrics.”

Neji deadpanned, praying that the boy wouldn’t start singing it.

Shikamaru noticed the change of expression and a smile crept onto his otherwise lazy face. He then opened his mouth, threatening what Neji had been hoping against.

Neji narrowed his eyes.

Shikamaru took in an obnoxiously deep breath.

The Hyuga sighed as his head fell into his hand.

“Tonight’s the night we’ll lift the town from the grey, the fade,” Shikamaru began.

“Nara,” Neji addressed him under his breath.

“Tonight’s the night we stay awake til’ they have nothin’ to say,” the junior continued.

Neji gave him another cutting glare.

“Whoo!” The Nara sang.

“Shikamaru.”

“Tonight, is ours, ours, ours to take, to celebrate!”

Neji stared to him. He did not move. His irritation was replaced by a look of disbelief that the younger had truly gone through with even that much of the cliché summer song. Shikamaru paused with a grin that soon broke into a laugh, “you really hate that song.”

“I heard it every day for weeks,” Neji defended.

“Looked like your ears were gonna bleed,” Shikamaru joked as the popcorn began to pop just behind him. Not too long afterwards, they heard a gentle pitter patter pick up against the leaves of the forest that stood just behind the house.

. . .

“Why did they steal a couch cushion?” Shikamaru asked from where he sat huddled up next to Neji underneath the blanket from the Hyuga’s bed. The two stared to the empty spot on the far end of the couch.

“I’m unsure,” Neji admitted.

“I don’t blame them; this is a nice couch,” Shikamaru complimented. Neji let out a breath of laughter that nearly escaped Shikamaru’s ears, “it is! Just like the rest of the house. I would’ve stolen the carpet, the wallpaper, the foundation…”

Neji’s laughter grew until his face fell against the Nara’s shoulder.

Shikamaru grinned to himself victoriously before shoveling a handful of popcorn into his mouth, “you can have some, you know?”

“No thank you,” Neji declined politely, looking into the bowl of mystery flavored popcorn.

“Just try it.”

“No.”

“Picky eater?”

Neji stared to the bowl a bit longer before taking a single piece and eating it. He chewed on it and swallowed without comment.

Shikamaru waited, “well?”

Neji wordlessly reached back into the bowl and crunched on the popcorn that was not nearly as bad as the combination seemed when it sat separately on the counter.

Shikamaru allowed the other to take as much as he wanted which, surprisingly, was more than the Nara ate himself, “there are other snacks that I think you’d like.”

Neji looked to him before looking away a bit shyly after finishing the bowl himself, “thank you.”

“Anytime,” Shikamaru smiled pridefully before someone rang the doorbell. Both boys stiffened as the ring’s echo dissipated.

“What should we do?” Neji asked in a rushed whisper.

“Well, the lights were on in the kitchen, so we can’t act like we’re not here,” Shikamaru said as he stood from the couch and headed towards the kitchen area.

Neji looked over the back of the sofa and watched as Shikamaru reentered with a knife after shutting off each light. The Nara paused and let out a heavy sigh regretting that they had to go through this again.

“It could be the ANBU,” Neji tried.

“It could be. It might not,” Shikamaru whispered back as he slowly approached Hiashi’s office and looked through its windows. His eyes widened before he ran to the door and opened it without hesitation.


	90. Chapter 90

“Who’s at the door?!” Hiashi shouted as he shot from his room with a clothing iron in hand. Once he reached the bottom of the steps, he froze once he found Shikamaru clinging to his father. Shikaku returned the affection as the two swayed into the house.

“Shikaku?” Hiashi exhaled but his guard spiked at finding his notorious traveling partner, “Hizashi?!” He yelled, tightening his grip on the iron. He made for his brother only to he stopped by Shikaku, “let go of me! None of this concerns you, he isn’t your brother! He didn’t kill your wife!”

“Well, he didn’t kill yours either,” Shikaku shot back coolly.

Hiashi yanked his arm from the other’s grasp, “He did!”

“No, I mean your wife didn’t die because of him,” Shikaku continued.

“She…”

“We spoke to some of the remaining members for closure. We came across the guy who did the killing as punishment for Hizashi’s failure to deliver a final blow, and he actually killed Hizashi’s ex. He didn’t tell us how he found her, but she died because of what Hizashi couldn’t do, not your wife,” Shikaku finally clarified.

Hiashi froze tensely. He still clenched his jaw, but he looked to his twin brother who had yet to step foot into the house. Hizashi seemed smaller than ever as he stared to the bottom corner of the door frame blankly as rain crashed down behind him. He swayed side to side almost as a comfort mechanism as he held his arm awkwardly. He seemed like he could cry all over again, hearing the news being repeated another time. Hiashi remembered the letter from Hizashi. He remembered Hizashi writing about the woman that he had loved dearly. His younger brother became a mess after she left which worried Hiashi because he was unsure of Neji’s well-being for as long as he was under his biological father’s care. The letters became more solemn and they came slower as opposed to monthly. That was only the result of her leaving, but now that she was dead, Hiashi could only imagine what he was going through. No, he knew what Hizashi felt because he had been there years ago. Hiashi lowered the iron and approached his brother, “come in,” he sighed, shutting the door behind Hizashi who had yet to speak.

Hizashi swallowed thickly and moved slowly as he looked around, “wow,” he nearly croaked, “you have a nice house.”

Hiashi locked the door before hugging his brother for the first time throughout their brotherhood. He held onto the smaller of the two of them and allowed Hizashi to use him to hide his feelings that were so turbulent inside of him. He knew the younger was broken in more ways than one. He could see Hizashi’s self hatred in his dull eyes.

The rest stood silently. Neji stared to the two, one of which had brought him into this world while the other brought him up. It was a strange sight. His biological mother was killed years ago, not the one who had taken part in raising him. He never got to know the first, but she never got to know him before she ran. He didn’t know what to think of the woman who was a stranger to him. All he could think of was the photo. The old photo was worn and stained by water over the years, but she was beautiful. Neji wondered why the woman hadn’t taken him with her. She must not have wanted him. The Hyuga looked to the floor as he stood perplexed by it all.

“I asked about a guy, Hidan, a real psychopath, and they said they didn’t see him. He wasn’t arrested which makes me uneasy,” he nervously smiled.

“I,” his son sighed, “killed him,” oddly enough, he didn’t wish to mention it again.

“Well,” Shikaku looked down to his son who averted his gaze uneasily, “that’s my boy. It was either you or him, I’m sure.”

Shikamaru thought about it, “yeah, it was.”

“Then, nothing to worry about,” his father pat his shoulder and shook it reassuringly, “you did what you had to. I’m proud. Just don’t tell anyone,” he smiled uneasily.

“Wow,” his son breathed out.

“What?”

“Never thought my dad would say he’s proud of me for killing a man,” Shikamaru admitted as he shifted uncomfortably. Truthfully, it had been a matter of life or death because Hidan had his hand on his gun before Shikamaru forced the knife through his back. However, the same could not be said for those who fell victim to the Akatsuki’s drug. Shikamaru fell cold.

Shikaku let out a hearty laugh.

Neji’s eyes softened at the sight of the two. They never failed to bring humor into any situation, but it was short lived. Neji looked back to Hizashi who studied a photo of the woman he had indirectly killed. The death of the girls’ mother on the other hand had been coincidental it seemed. She was nothing but a stranger that hadn’t been charted. She was only chopped liver in their operation. It almost felt worse in a sense that Neji did not understand. Nothing even came close to justifying or reasoning the death of the girls’ mother. It was only sudden and nothing more. She was a test for the late Shisui Uchiha.

“Is everyone else back too?” Hinata questioned.

“Yeah, hey, Shikamaru, your mom is safe. She’s on her way back now. No one ever messed with her, she was just confused,” Shikaku chuckled, “The rest went to Itachi’s place to relax for a bit. Sasuke’s moving in with Izumi and Haku, but…” Shikaku trailed off with a sigh. His typical cheer seemed to dissipate, “Itachi is gonna be serving time.”

“What?” Shikamaru questioned almost offended.

“Well, he’s no different from the other Akatsuki. He killed his parents and laundered money,” his father reasoned.

“But he didn’t have a choice,” his son argued.

Shikaku shrugged, “through the law’s eyes, he had a choice even if the other one was the death of his loved ones. The ruling wasn’t right, I’ll be the first to tell you, but we can’t really do much.”

“You shipped drugs and people,” Shikamaru pushed on.

“Yeah, I told them and no one said anything, so I just took it and ran. Same thing with Hizashi.” It was strange. Shikaku’s freedom gave Shikamaru hope that he wouldn’t be jailed for decades as a result of his spree on that traumatizing night. Still, he had taken their lives regardless. They all pondered for the reason behind the man’s freedom whilst Itachi was locked up.

“The Uchiha,” Neji spoke, “They might start a riot over it.”

“I’ll set up the guest room for you two,” Hiashi offered.

“No need,” even the floor’s fine, “I’m just glad to be back,” Shikaku yawned.

“Do you want a bed?” Hiashi asked his brother who still stared to the photo with a nod.

“Okay,” with that, the elder of the twins rushed off for a clean set of sheets. A part of him felt guilt for only housing his brother after finding out that it had not been his wife who had perished because of Hizashi’s actions. He felt bad for his brother. Now the two of them had to live on without the women of their dreams. Hizashi had been coping knowing that Neji’s mother was somewhere safe, far, far from here. He was wrong it seemed. Hiashi almost felt like he could sort of breathe knowing that he at least had his brother at long last after years of separation. Still, he couldn’t get over the weight of guilt that pressed against his chest. It was guilt that had begun to build up years before the truth was revealed.

“Should we tell them?” Neji asked.

“I don’t know,” Shikamaru exhaled after calming himself from what his father had just confessed, “Will there be a difference if we broke the news to them instead?” Shikamaru asked honestly.

“You guys could lay it on them easier because those ANBU agents don’t care about whose feelings are involved,” Shikaku added.

“What happened to Danzo?” His son asked after remembering that the ANBU are not to entirely be trusted.

“Don’t know, didn’t see him before we left,” Shikaku admitted, “hope he lost his job.”

“Doubt it,” his son grumbled.

“The bed is actually already made up,” Hiashi called for Hizashi who trailed off towards the guest room without a word. Hiashi shut the door behind the man and rejoined the rest in the foyer, “I think we should deliver the news to avoid another shootout.”

. . .

“Damn it all!” Obito yelled, swiping his arm across the desk, knocking a cup of writing utensils along with sheets of paperwork to the floor, “they knew that we were on top of the world years ago! The system’s rigged against us! Of course, they’d give him a life sentence!”

Kakashi calmly collected each item that had been dropped, “maybe you can protest,” he suggested.

Obito paused.

“Wait, that’s not a bad idea,” a smaller, more feminine voice came from the copying room. A woman in a tan pencil skirt and white button up walked towards the group and sat in a seat behind the front desk.

“Hi, Rin,” Kakashi greeted, earning a side eye from Obito.

“Hi, Kakashi,” she returned with a smile before hopping from her seat, kissing Obito on the cheek, “I’m gonna go and get lunch for the both of us, but a protest sounds like a good idea.”

“So, what about the rest of the Akatsuki?” Shikaku asked.

“What about them?” Obito raised a brow.

“Itachi just like the other members committed crimes. If we freed Itachi, then the others would have to be found innocent,” the man continued.

“I don’t give a damn about the rest of them. Free them for all I care. Itachi just doesn’t belong in there, and I know the rest of you know it. He’s always been too selfless to sit and rot behind bars,” Obito put firmly as he leaned back against the desk.

“Careful,” Kakashi warned, “wouldn’t want the pencils to spill again,” he said politely as he organized the desk. His friend leaned away from the desk as Kakashi placed everything down in an orderly fashion.

“Anyways, we’re doing that protest,” Obito confirmed before looking over the others.

The group stood awkwardly. None of them were sure of how it would go. They were half convinced that it might boil over given how the Uchiha handled the confrontation with the Sarutobi.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck.

Shikaku slipped his hands into his pockets.

Hiashi frowned.

Neji crossed his arms.

Hinata fumbled with her hands.

Hanabi played with a pen.

Hizashi had stayed home.

. . .

“Our will of fire will not tire!” Obito shouted into a megaphone.

“Our will of fire will not tire!” The crowd echoed loudly.

“Free Itachi Uchiha!” Obito demanded as the crowd repeated the will of fire slogan, “we demand his freedom!”

Neji stood next to Shikamaru as the two held signs demanding that Itachi be released. The protest took about a week to orchestrate before it was put into motion. As Neji looked around, he spotted more and more familiar faces amongst the crowd. There were faces from all over especially from Konohagakure. Itachi had made an impression in the community after all. Before they knew it, protestors began mounting cars, hoisting their signs even higher than before. Their voices grew. The chanting ended and became a mixture of demands and shouts. Neji looked to Shikamaru who feared that it would grow out of control. Still, the two continued holding their signs as they watched those around them.

“Neji!” A girl shouted before shoving her way to the Hyuga. It was Sakura. She had Itachi’s name painted to her forehead, “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Neither did we,” Shikamaru remarked.

“Shikamaru! Where have you guys been? I was worried after what happened in the street,” the girl began.

“We are alright,” Neji assured as he stared to the prison building of Earth Country. Everyone stood, heavily clothed due to the cool temperature. He was surprised that they’ve gotten this much support in such a short amount of time. Obito planned it all within a day and used the rest of the seven days to spread the word using each employee of the station. They were lucky that he was such a beloved man by the community of Fire Country. He was a successful detective who cracked a number of impossible cases, giving countless people closure and peace of mind. Coming to the protest was the least that so many people thought they could do.

“Well, things sure have gotten crazy, haven’t they?” She asked nervously before they heard glass shatter. The three looked to the left to find a number of people damaging cars parked in the employee parking lot.

“Shit,” Shikamaru cursed as he watched guards emerge from the building’s doors, “let’s go.”

Neji didn’t need another word before delivering a glance to Shikaku and Hinata in the distance. The others got the message before the group ran from the scene dropping their signs, leaving them to get crushed by the quickly growing riot.

. . .

“How was it?” Hiashi asked as he gave each of them glasses of water.

“Well, it wasn’t what I signed up for,” Shikamaru chuckled.

“They started breaking shit,” Shikaku put bluntly before sipping the water, “I think some of them came just to break shit though.”

“It was fine until they started banging against cars,” Hinata frowned to her glass.

“Cars?” Hiashi questioned before turning on the television, “you think there’s news coverage yet?”

“Oh, yeah,” Shikaku answered.

“Can I go next time?” Hanabi asked.

“No,” her father answered curtly.

“They’ve been out here since sun rise witnesses say. They’ve been demanding the freedom of Itachi Uchiha using signs and chants. It started out peacefully until protestors began to destroy the property of workers,” the reporter explained as the camera zoomed in on people being arrested over car hoods. Some lied on the ground after being tackled. Some had their signs broken by police while others tried to flee from the scene, “can we get an ariel shot of this?” They showed footage from a helicopter that hovered over the facility. People scattered like ants and poured through every direction as guards and police alike chased after them. Countless police cars were parked on the grass of the prison yard, “it seems as though protestors are leaving the site, but there’s no telling if they’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Gods,” Hiashi breathed out before tossing the remote to the sofa of the hotel room.

“I bet they’re going back tomorrow,” Shikamaru said.

“The fire in Obito’s eyes told us that much,” his father agreed.

“Can I go this time?” Hanabi marveled.

“No!”


	91. Chapter 91

Shikamaru yawned as he walked into the living area to find the news being broadcasted. He groggily stared at the screen until screams registered. His eyes shot open, “what’s going on?”

“A shooting,” Hiashi answered.

“It was a good call to stay here,” Shikaku said from the kitchen.

“Still want to go?” Hiashi asked his youngest.

Hanabi shook her head before drifting towards the restroom, shutting the door softly.

“Sakura,” Neji realized, “who did you see yesterday?” He asked the others who had attended.

“I saw Sasuke and Haku from far away,” Shikaku answered.

“I saw Sakura, but you know that. I didn’t see anyone else,” Shikamaru answered, “but I wasn’t looking for familiar faces. I was looking for guns.”

“I saw Ino,” Hinata added.

“Izumi had to be there, right?” Shikamaru questioned.

“Wouldn’t doubt it,” Hiashi commented.

“Do you think they went back today?” Shikaku asked.

“Well, yeah, Izumi is an Uchiha. If they don’t fight for themselves, then who will? The bulk of today’s protestors had to be Uchiha,” Shikamaru said, “why are they shooting?”

“It’s not police. There was a drive by,” Hiashi answered.

“Drive-by?”

“It could have been Sarutobi.”

“Hm,” Shikaku hummed before calmly clicking each lock on the hotel door, “well, I didn’t see their bond lasting anyway. News got out about the Akatsuki’s fall, so they probably struck the Uchiha while they were vulnerable.”

Shikamaru and Neji searched the screen for anyone familiar to them and hoped that it would be in vain.

“That, and they could’ve been ordered by the Senju. The ANBU never said they finished the Senju off,” Hiashi mentioned.

“Damn,” Shikaku cursed, “forgot about them,” he said casually before sipping his ice water.

“In more news, Hashirama Senju along with his family have confessed to taking part in a human trafficking scandal. Not only did they take part, they also managed just how it was ran. Many missing persons reports have been answered over the past two days. Many of which had been taken by the Senju’s workers,” the reporter continued until Hashirama appeared on screen, “Hashirama Senju, being a political figure in his time along with his brother are answering for the crime now. This is an interview that took place only last week.”

Shikaku planted his glass against the counter before heading into the living room to get a closer look.

Even with countless cameras turned towards him, Hashirama still beamed, “I know it means nothing, but I would like to apologize to everyone who had a missing loved one. It’s something that my family has ran underground for years, and if I’m being honest, I’m glad it’s over. I’m ready to serve time. I’ve lived my life, and it’s time I got what I deserved,” he smiled before the news reporter reappeared.

“Bastard,” Shikaku muttered before leaving the room.

“So, if he was taken in last week, then was that them who initiated the shooting?” Shikamaru asked.

“Coulda just been the Sarutobi themselves since they don’t have anyone to tell them what to do anymore,” Shikaku called from the kitchen.

“I’m just glad we aren’t the center of attention anymore,” Hiashi said before standing and taking for the restroom, “Hanabi?” He knocked on the door.

“Just a second!” She called.

Hiashi mumbled a curse before heading towards the bedroom.

“Does this mean everything can go back to normal?” Hinata asked before looking back at the screen, “for us?”

“For us,” Shikamaru repeated.

“After that, I don’t think there’s anything left for us to do,” Shikaku spoke as he reentered the living room, “we might as well just go back to Konoha and try to adjust since the Akatsuki and Senju are gone.”

Each of them stared to the man as they thought it over. The boys looked to each other then to Hinata who seemed uncertain. It would be interesting settling back down, but it was a relief to see on screen everything they needed to know about their enemies. If anything else occurred, it would most likely occur in Earth Country, far from Konohagakure. Hopefully. Still, they couldn’t help but feel guilty at abandoning those who had helped them so much throughout their time of need.

“I hope everyone we know is safe, but there’s nothing we can do now. They’ve made their point. If that’s the Sarutobi, then they still want the Uchiha to free their family member the same way the Uchiha wanted their own freed. It’s a rival thing now, we’re outsiders. We should just go home and hope everything works out. Neither of these groups have anything against us, so we should be in the clear as long as we don’t get too close,” Shikaku pressed on.

Neji looked back to Shikamaru who lowered his head.

“Hey,” his father said as he placed a firm hand to his son’s shoulder, “we can go back, I can get a regular job,” he placed a hand against Neji’s shoulder, “you guys can catch up doing something other than running for your lives and taking your dads’ crap. Isn’t there like a prom thing for you kids?”

Shikamaru scoffed, “I think it passed.”

“Well, I’m sure they’ll have another,” Shikaku tried to get them to perk up, “you’ve all already gone through enough. Throwing yourself into others’ affairs could just finish the job those gangs didn’t get to. You’re kids. Go back and live your lives.”

His words sounded so good after everything they had faced and risked. They both envisioned a normal high school experience where the only thing they had to worry about were due dates and who was seeing who and who was the worst teacher in school and who got detention. It was simpler. It was easier.

“Yeah?” Shikaku looked from one teen to the other.

Hinata nodded.

Neji nodded.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru agreed unenthusiastically before a small smile warmed his features.

“Alright,” his father finalized, patting his shoulder a couple of times before heading back into the kitchen.

“Do you really think that things will be normal?” Neji asked.

Shikamaru shrugged.

“I don’t want to leave them, but I want to go home,” Hinata admitted quietly.

“Yeah,” the Nara sighed, “me too.”

. . .

“Hizashi?” Hiashi called as they entered the house. His brother had stayed in Konohagakure alone. Hiashi gave the man the keys and allowed him to anything during his stay.

Hizashi emerged from the guest room half asleep. His lids were heavy just as much as his hair was a nest.

Hiashi paused at the sight of him. He was thankful that the other had remained in one piece but now that he presented himself, it seemed to hardly be the case. He let out a sigh as his shoulders dropped, “must I treat you like I did that one day when we were kids?”

Hizashi furrowed his brows before stretching.

Hiashi shook his head, “I have a brush. Wait here.”

Hizashi seemed rather dull. Only when he spotted his son did his eyes even slightly light up, “Neji!”

Neji stilled and slowly looked towards the unpredictable man.

Hizashi gave him a sheepish smile unsure if he was in the clear or not. Even though he had not been the cause of their mother’s death, he was still responsible for everything that had shaken their worlds for the past few months.

“Hello,” Neji greeted oddly. He stiffened even further once the man began to step towards him, “how was the trip?” Hizashi asked before eyeing his nieces. He gave them a gentle smile and wave.

“It was…” Neji began.

“Well, I promise to be better this time,” Hizashi interrupted, “I know I never really went to school or had work experience,” he nervously laughed before reaching down to scratch his foot with a quizzical expression, “I think I could work as a delivery guy or something. I thought about being like a maid or something. Are men called maids or is it something else?”

“I…” Neji tried.

“Do waiters need experience? I could do that. Is there a place near here?” Hizashi questioned.

“You can work at my friend’s place,” Shikamaru offered as he stepped up, “his family owns a place further in town. They’re always understaffed because his mom is weird about hiring, so you won’t really have competition. They’ll probably give you the spot as long as you’re with me.”

“Oh, thank you!” Hizashi smiled, “oh, what if they fire me?”

Shikamaru looked to Neji who returned the glance, “then, you find a new job.”

“Where?” Hizashi questioned cluelessly.

Shikamaru shrugged, “I don’t know, a library? Maybe you can work retail or at a grocery store, or something.”

Hizashi stared to the boy. It looked like he was processing what the Nara had said. There was an awkward pause in which Hanabi took it upon herself to slip away. Suddenly, Hizashi smiled.

Shikamaru chuckled uneasily, “okay?”

Hizashi nodded optimistically.

Shikamaru took in a deep breath as his father’s hand came down against his shoulder, “I’m not saying anything,” the boy said.

“I didn’t say you were,” the elder Nara responded.

“I’m sorry, but Hiashi’s letting me stay here for free for some months, but I’ll have to pay rent eventually. He didn’t say when, but I’ll have to,” he averted his eyes to a dried houseplant, “eventually,” he repeated. He seemed rather scatter brained, but it beat seeing him on his knees begging for forgiveness.

“Hizashi,” Hiashi called as he approached him.

Hizashi turned to find his brother holding said brush, “thank you,” he said before taking it.

His brother then looked over the mess that hung from his head, “Do you know how to…”

“I just run the brush’s things through my hair.”

“They’re called bristles,” Hiashi corrected.

“I didn’t know they had a name,” Hizashi admitted as the brush got caught in the middle of a stroke. His eye twitched once a shot of pain came from his scalp, “oh.”

“Give it to me, I’ll do it,” Hiashi deadpanned.

Hizashi tried to pull it through the tangles.

“No,” Hiashi reached for the brush and simply plucked it from the strands, “come on,” he grumbled before turning off heading towards his room.

Hizashi turned to look at Neji once more. He observed the boy’s strands.

“What is it?” His son asked, narrowing his eyes under the man’s gaze.

“How do you get yours like that?”

“Like what?” Neji asked.

“You know,” Hizashi began, “neat.”

“I wash it and detangle it,” his son answered shortly.

Hizashi laughed before following after his brother.

“Your dad is kinda funny,” Shikamaru said.

“He is not,” Neji disagreed.

“He is kinda funny. Why do you think I stuck around all this time?” Shikaku backed his son.

“I do not know,” Neji said before heading towards his room.

. . .

Minato smiled to both boys who sat on the other side of his desk, “well, there’s not much else to say other than you’ll have to work incredibly hard to get caught up.”

Shikamaru slouched in his seat, “troublesome.”

“I’m glad to have you two back. I won’t pry because that’s against school regulations, but I will ask this,” he began as he bared his elbows against his desk, “are you two alright?”

“Yes,” Neji nodded.

“Good as I’ll ever be,” Shikamaru was already dreading the work he’d have to make up. He almost wished he just kept driving the truck.

“Good! Naruto kept asking me if I got emails from either of your parents regarding where you two were, but of course, I got nothing, so,” he tossed his hands up in defeat, “I had no lead on where you were. It was concerning,” his smile became nervous, “but you’re here, so there’s no point in worrying anymore. You two can go back to your classes. Try to take it easy today since it’ll be a bit rough from now on.”

. . .

Shikamaru lied long ways on the school stadium’s bleacher. Next to his head sat Neji who did not touch his lunch. They both stared blankly and sat comfortably in each other’s silence. It felt strange being back with nothing to run from. Both felt as though there was something to fret, but they had no reason to think so.

“I have so much shit to do I could sob,” Shikamaru complained.

Neji nodded in agreement, “maybe it would not be as much of a task if we did the work together.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think I could help much outside of your math,” the Nara fessed.

“It does not matter. Having someone else there should keep both of us motivated.”

“Like a race or something?” Shikamaru asked.

“Not exactly.”

“Because I don’t think I could stay focused around you, but we can try. I mean, I want to, yeah. We could go to that diner after school and just plow through as much as we can.”

Neji nodded.

“Sounds good,” the Nara said before sitting up and shifting until he sat shoulder to shoulder with the Hyuga who hadn’t budged, “my dad’s getting a job at this automobile repair shop, so we could probably go to my place sometimes.”

Neji allowed it to sink in before he looked to Shikamaru who avoided looking his way at all costs, “He will be gone.”

Shikamaru nodded, “Yeah, he works nights.” After looking over the entire field and other half of the stadium, the Nara finally mustered the courage to glimpse Neji’s way. He was surprised to find the male studying him, “it wasn’t an innuendo. I just like having my own space. I got used to it. I mean it’s cool having Dad back, but you know.”

“I see.”

They sat in silence some more. Crows cawed overhead as the trees’ leaves scraped against one another in the wind. The breeze reminded them of the cooler temperatures.

“I am not allowed to stay out past dark for some time, so we could go, but I cannot stay long. You are still welcome to our house. We can study there,” Neji offered.

“Yeah, that’d be cool,” Shikamaru agreed.

Again, it grew quiet as Neji watched the grey sky. Shikamaru fiddled with a dead leaf in his hand before nervously leaning against the Hyuga. Neji was surprised by the public affection, but he did not force him off. He allowed it and continued to peer up at the colorless clouds. After some moments of the comforting quiet, Neji leaned his head against the Nara’s. They watched everything in front of them together for the rest of the lunch period as opposed to getting a head start on their mountains and mountains of paperwork.


	92. Chapter 92

“I don’t know,” Hizashi continued to fret.

Shikamaru only shoved him towards the doors of the Akimichi eatery, “just go and talk to them.”

“You aren’t coming? I thought I had to be with you to…”

“I already told them about you, just go introduce yourself or something.”

Hizashi continued to stare at the Nara before looking back to the door. He then hovered his hand before the door handle stiffly before ripping the door open and stepping inside, looking unsure of himself with each step.

“Would they fire him?” Neji asked from where he stood next to the Nara on the sidewalk.

“I screwed up a lot when I worked here regularly, but they were probably just biased,” Shikamaru admitted.

Neji did not exactly take that as good news.

“I’ll just put in some hours here and he can train under me. I’ve had my fair share of experience. It’ll be fine,” the junior promised.

Neji somehow doubted that. It wasn’t long before they heard the doors swing open as Hizashi rejoined the group.

“I got the job,” Hizashi smiled.

“I already told you that you got the job,” Shikamaru raised a brow.

“Good job, Hizashi,” his brother put plainly before checking himself. He forced an awkward smile to his twin who seemed years younger than himself, “now let’s go home. I have phone calls to make.”

“Father,” Neji called.

“Yes?” Hiashi answered.

“Yeah,” Hizashi turned to face him.

Neji only looked from one to the other. He knew there might have been a small rivalry that the two might have been suppressing ever since Hizashi reentered the scene, but Neji had just put it front and center unintentionally. Now, he looked to the two brothers. Hiashi held his stare while Hizashi averted his eyes having already dismissed the call. Neji noticed both reactions and simply looked to the cement of the sidewalk instead of choosing one of their gazes to maintain, “can Shikamaru come with us? We were planning to work together on our late work,” he explained.

“Of course,” Hiashi answered, “does your father know?”

“Yeah, he prefers it anyway. He’s working nights now,” the Nara answered.

“Then, you can come to our house after school from now on. Hizashi when do you start work?”

“Tomorrow,” the smaller man responded.

“Sooner than I thought,” the elder of the two pondered for a moment, “can you drive?”

“Not legally, but I’m sure I could learn,” Hizashi confessed.

Hiashi sighed, but it was to be expected, “You take morning shifts, correct?”

Hizashi nodded, “is that bad? Do you want me to change it?” He seemed rather apologetic around Hiashi regardless of the situation.

“No, that is not bad,” Hiashi dismissed as if it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. He was never a patient man. It only made the other more sheepish.

Neji gripped Hiashi’s shoulder. It was a silent beg to be slower with his brother and not as quick tempered. Hiashi pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing.

“I’m sorry, Hizashi. Shikamaru?”

“Yeah?” The boy responded.

“Is there any way we could use your father’s car in the morning to get him to work? I’ve been replaced at my old job, and the one I’m looking at currently calls for me to come in each morning meaning I will not be able to get him to the restaurant on time.”

“Yeah, that’s cool. I can just take the bus,” the boy confirmed without even doing so much as speaking to Shikaku first.

“Would Shikaku allow it?” Hiashi asked suspiciously.

“Yeah,” his expression was nonchalant, but it was trustworthy, “Dad can take him.”

Hiashi settled for it.

“Alright, well it’s settled then. Hizashi, Shikaku will take you to work in the mornings when I’m gone, and the children will take the bus. Make it a point to be on time. If you need, I will purchase an alarm clock for you,” Hiashi summarized.

His brother smiled, “thank you so much, Hizashi! I swear I will keep this job and repay you everything.”

“I can wake him up for his shift until then,” Neji said.

“Thank you,” Hizashi’s smile grew before it fell.

“Hm? What is it?” Hiashi frowned.

“I don’t deserve this,” Hizashi mumbled, “I ruined your lives and now you’re giving me a job and rides and a bed and food.”

“Well, don’t mope about it, because once you get settled into your job, you’ll have to pay for your own pleasantries,” his brother cut him off.

“Oh yeah,” his brother said as his eyes drifted to a building in the distance.

Hiashi only watched his peculiar brother similarly to the two boys who were left with nothing to say, “alright, well,” Hiashi made for his car, “let’s get going.”

. . .

Neji watched as Shikamaru worked out problem after problem without stopping. There wasn’t a second where the Nara’s pencil stilled. It was as if the questions themselves were enough to teach the boy the material without him having to read a single chapter. In a way, the Hyuga envied him, but not a fiber within him could force himself to work.

“Have you heard from Sasuke?” The Nara asked suddenly.

“No, we have not gotten new phones yet,” Neji responded. Their phones along with their luggage from months ago was long gone. It was a matter of going to the tech shop by then.

“Oh yeah. Well we should take a break,” Shikamaru dropped his pencil and leaned his cheek against his hand as he directed all of his attention on Neji whose pile did not seem to shrink no matter how many hours they sat in focused silence. It was as if the Nara could sense the trouble that the other was having before suggesting they part with their assignments, “what do you wanna do?”

“I should continue working. I have not gotten far.”

“Just a few minutes?”

“I need to work.”

“Guys! They’re on TV!” Hanabi exclaimed from the living room.

Right as they entered, they saw Earth Country. Just the scenery chilled them to the bone. The skies were dreary as the streets were wet from the downpour. The setting gave off a feeling of icicles without either of them having to be there personally. Again, a news reporter, now wearing a raincoat, was covering the Uchiha story.

“I didn’t know they were still there,” Shikamaru thought aloud.

Hanabi sat up and looked over the back of the couch to face them, “they’re still protesting but it’s not violent anymore.”

“That is good,” Neji was relieved.

“Well, shit. How long are they gonna go at it?” The Nara wondered.

The Hyuga shook his head devoid of an idea, “they may go until their demands are answered.”

. . .

The class faced the smart board as people continued to march and yell until their voices were considered. It was their lunch period and Kakashi was showing the news on his screen for any students who were interested. Kakashi sat on his desk and watched. He was still as he focused on the events that progressed through the screen. That day, Earth Country wasn’t any drier. The rain seemed heavier that day, but the people were still in the land’s streets, begging to be listened to.

“Sasuke,” Sakura perked up at seeing the boy with a microphone held towards him.

“We asked the prisoner’s brother what the disturbance was about, and he was more than willing to share his view,” the reporter lead in.

“I’m Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi’s brother,” his name appeared at the bottom left of the screen as everyone in the class went silent, “we’re here because he shouldn’t be in jail. Yes, he laundered money, but he wouldn’t have done it if his family’s lives weren’t threatened by Orochimaru. Ever since Orochimaru has been dead, Itachi hasn’t laundered a slip of money, he hasn’t laundered a coin,” he seemed to be out of breath from yelling for their cause only minutes ago, “he’s my brother. He killed our parents, but that’s because Orochimaru planned to have me killed if he didn’t, so our parents chose to die in my place. It’s not my brother’s fault. The Akatsuki have had complete control over Fire Country for years. For years, my brother has been trapped into doing Orochimaru’s dirty work, for years, he’s been protecting his family by putting his record and his freedom on the line. He’s too selfless to be behind bars over something he couldn’t control. It was a life or death situation every time be broke the law. It’s not his fault,” the reporter then retracted the microphone as the camera refocused on her.

“That was Sasuke Uchiha, the younger brother of Itachi. Just yesterday we asked a few more protesters what this protest meant to them, have a look.”

Immediately, Obito appeared next and right when one observed his demeanor, anyone could tell that he had a lot on his chest that he had been waiting to get off, “It’s just funny to me how they were so slow to break up the Akatsuki and the Senju, but they wasted no time in ignoring Itachi’s entire case. They just threw him in jail, they didn’t even listen to anything we had to say. Then, the other day we were shot at. No one died, I don’t know if they were aiming to kill or not, but some people got real hurt once everything was over. We all went to the hospital and had them admitted. It didn’t stop us. We know that Itachi should be a free man, so we’re going to stay here for as long as that takes because he’s in there for no reason. Besides, there’s a number of people who are just as ‘guilty’ as him running around free,” he then looked directly into the camera to emphasize just how unjust the ruling had been.

“We have just gotten word that, yet another protest has spiked in another area. This one is coming to you from Konohagakure,” the reporter informed.

“No way,” Shikamaru whispered at seeing the familiar streets being fill with another crowd, but their signs were different.

“These protesters are fighting for the freedom of their loved one as well, but they say that she was arrested by Konohagakure police under illegitimate charges. They say the woman was arrested for self-defense. Yet, another faulty jailing on the city’s police department. Our men questioned the general crowd some hours ago,” the reporter finished.

“These people can kill one of our own, but the minute we defend ourselves, they call themselves serving justice,” it was the man who had brawled with Obito only last week, “the Uchiha or someone working with them killed one of us, and what were we supposed to do? Wait for the police to handle the matter truthfully? The police were the one who killed him, but they aren’t police; they’re all criminals. They’re all moles part of something shady,” he seemed to have disregarded the truth, “They don’t care about what happens to the city; they just want control, so when that shooting happened, and she shot just to defend herself, she was the one to get locked up. I never heard about a single one of them being held accountable, and now her son is left without a father or a mother,” the glass of the police station shattered and the camera shifted to focus on the destruction that had commenced just behind them.

“We had to end the recording there, because the protest began to grow rapidly into something uncontrollable. Things are going unchecked in Konohagakure because much of their police force is currently in Earth Country demanding that Itachi be freed. The two protests are getting most of the news media coverage, but what about the smaller stories? Who was the man that was shot by the Sarutobi all that time ago in the shooting? We were able to locate his family for a brief interview.”

Neji’s heart sank as Shikamaru’s eyes widened. Hanabi froze in her seat as they all spotted TenTen along with her adoptive mother on screen. TenTen stood, holding her arm while her mother wrapped her own arm around her daughter’s shoulders. It was more than obvious that the two had been crying before the camera started rolling. Neji remembered instantly that the girl’s father had in fact been a policeman who might have been the only legitimate worker there.

“This is TenTen along with her mother, the wife of the cop that was shot dead,” the anchor explained.

“He was just here, then he wasn’t,” TenTen shrugged numbly, her voice nasally.

Neji remembered just eating dinner with the two. He knew better than anyone that the truth behind a death that had occurred some time ago was like ripping a scab. 

“He was the best dad I could’ve ever hoped for. He was just trying to do his job, but he didn’t know how corrupt the police were. They were never working with him, they always wanted to commit crimes without anyone arresting them, but he wanted to make the city safer. He shouldn’t have died. He was our only good cop,” TenTen finished before the screen focused on the anchor.

Neji sat nearly winded. Shikamaru cupped his mouth with a single hand as he sat back in his seat. Both boys knew that once the protests subsided that there would be an immeasurable tension within Konoha. Although their lives were no longer in immediate danger, their lives would not be the same.

. . .

“He lost his brother,” Neji tried.

“I lost my father!” TenTen shouted through tearful eyes. Her arm was crossed while the other held its hand firmly against her chest as she leaned forward to get a closer look of what went on in Neji’s eyes, “my dad is gone because of both of them! The Sarutobi and Uchiha can all die out for all I care!”

Neji shut his eyes. He needed her to know the truth, but he knew that she was long from being able to listen, “TenTen…”

“But you’re still talking to him?! Worried about him?! Who’s been your friend since middle school? Me! You picked him up just because he and his friends were on top of the world. You picked them because they looked good. You didn’t care about me or Lee, you never did! It’s like once you figured yourself out and went to high school and left us behind, you didn’t know who we were anymore!”

“That is not true.”

“Lee told me you didn’t even talk to him anymore after we said we’d keep in touch before that last summer break!”

“He was gone. There was nothing to speak about,” Neji spoke calmly.

“Bull shit!”

Neji looked around to the students who rushed to their classes around them. He felt uneasy once one student stopped to record, hoping for a fight.

“Don’t you have a class to go to?!” TenTen shouted over Neji’s shoulder.

The student lowered his phone and rolled his eyes before continuing.

“TenTen, the police were corrupted and were involved in gang activity…”

“No shit!”

“They were forced into it by the Akatsuki.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” she finally sobbed, “I hope that bitch from the Sarutobi rots in jail,” she began to wipe her eyes, “Itachi deserves to be in jail. He didn’t even try!”

Neji watched her unsure of what to do.

“Fucking hug me or something! What the fuck are you doing?!”

Neji complied quickly and held the girl as she wept. He looked around, keeping aware of anyone who might have felt like stopping to harass the girl. Luckily, students clung to minding their own business as they continued towards their classes. The final bell rang, announcing that they were late to class, but it was such a minor thing in the grand scheme of it all.

. . .

After days of thinning out their numbers in Konoha, the police force finally returned to Fire Country and reclaimed their responsibility in defending the land. Unsurprisingly, there was a good deal of vandalism from not only the Sarutobi but whoever had taken their side in everything. There were gifts from people who had taken the side of the Uchiha but along with it came that predicted tension between the two groups and their supporters. It was a complete mess all throughout the city and it even wafted through the school doors.

“We didn’t kill your dad, the Sarutobi did. You should be pissed at them,” Sasuke rolled his eyes before turning to walk on. It was his first day back from Earth Country, and it was a day filled with stares and questions.

“Are you going to free her?” TenTen asked.

“Why would we? She killed your dad and would probably come after us next,” the Uchiha looked over his shoulder.

The cafeteria eyed the two, “your people shouldn’t even be allowed in that station,” she said lowly.

“Yeah, well we never asked for it,” Sasuke kept relatively calm.

“Leave him alone,” Ino butted in, “it’s not his fault and you know that.”

“I never said it was his fucking fault. Why are you even talking?” TenTen shot back, “nothing’s changed for you. You still have your family and your prissy little life. Know when you have a say in something and when you should just shut up.”

“First off…”

TenTen didn’t let the girl finish before she swung her arm, punching the girl square in the face, sending the blond against the floor, but TenTen didn’t stop there. She fell to the ground, straddling the Yamanaka’s hips and began to smudge Ino’s make up using the sleeve of her sweatshirt. TenTen ripped Ino’s false lashes from her lids before spitting on the girl’s face and dismounting her. She then shot through the newly constructed cafeteria doors without looking back.

Countless students recorded the entire process before Sakura tried to help Ino up. Ino only swatted her hand away as she bared her hands against the ground. Her hair worked as a shield to prevent others from capturing her smudged mask of cosmetics.

Neji looked to Shikamaru who sat across from him. The Nara stared to Ino with a look of mild amusement as if he was suppressing a light giggle. He then returned a look to Neji. The two only stared speechlessly to one another before Shikamaru tossed a fry into his mouth and stood to throw away the rest of his tray.


	93. Chapter 93

“Just this morning Tsunade Senju, the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju came out to admit to a murder that she committed months ago.”

Neji looked up to the screen from the laptop he was using.

“We could not get an interview with her, but it has been confirmed that she was the one to kill Konohamaru’s father months ago. She did not tell investigators what motivated her to commit the crime, but she has confessed to being the one behind it which seemed to have sparked the entire dispute between the Sarutobi and Uchiha.”

Hopefully it was proof enough for the Sarutobi who still refused to believe in their word.

Neji continued to watch the screen as Shikamau took his computer and began proofreading the bit that he had written. Immediately afterwards, commercials began to play giving the class time to discuss.

“On brighter news, I’ve heard that they’re looking further into Itachi’s case,” Kakashi announced. Afterall, the protest had been his idea. Its events had stressed the man greatly, but he kept his same easy-going personality in the midst of it all.

“But he laundered money and killed people,” one student spoke up.

“Yeah, well it was his family’s life that was at stake,” Shikamaru said as he typed.

“Why not just tell police? The Uchiha are the police,” the student pushed on.

“Because the police were being controlled by the very people who threatened Itachi’s family. They couldn’t do anything about it.”

“Why didn’t he just go to the ANBU?”

“Ever heard of the fear factor?” Shikamaru asked rhetorically, “his parents probably told him not to go to the feds. It would’ve been too risky.

“No, but I see what she’s saying. They could’ve gone to the ANBU from the get-go,” Darui commented from where he sat on a desk right next to the Nara.

Shikamaru looked up to him. His glare wasn’t harsh. It still had a lazy air to it that dulled its sharpness, “you haven’t lived it, so how would you know what you would’ve done?”

“Have you?” Darui asked.

“Actually, yeah believe it or not. The way the system was fucked over, going to the ANBU would’ve been the last thing on my mind. Once we got to the ANBU, one of the agents actually tried to kill us,” the room went quiet, “that’s where we’ve been for the past few months. It’s great to be back,” he remarked as he hit the final key and slid to laptop back to Neji whose attention was still fixed on the smart board.

His words seemed to have quieted the debate.

“Oh,” Darui said, “glad you aren’t dead,” he spoke quietly now.

“Me too.”

“Wanna smoke later?”

“Sure,” just like that, the tension between them disappeared. Neither seemed to have the energy to hold grudges let alone argue.

Darui hopped down from the desk, “I’m gonna head out. I hope Sasuke’s doing alright.”

“I’ll let him know,” Shikamaru said as he watched the screen.

Darui nodded, “sorry for assuming,” he said before exiting the dim classroom with a rub of his neck.

. . .

“I thought you were going to,” Neji paused not wishing to expose the Nara, “meet Darui later.”

“Oh, smoke?”

His attempt at being discreet was defeated.

“Yeah, later,” the Nara said. The two sat in the Akimichi restaurant after being offered a free meal.

“Hi, I’m Hizashi, I’ll be your waiter for today,” Hizashi greeted as he fumbled with the note pad before looking up, “Neji? Shikamaru?”

“Hey,” Shikamaru returned mellowly.

“What can I get you?” Hizashi beamed excitedly at the surprise.

“Two waters and,” he looked to Neji, “you cool with pepperoni pizza?”

Neji nodded.

“That too, please,” the Nara ordered.

“With pleasure,” Hizashi wrote the items down before leaning towards them, “this job actually isn’t as bad as I thought. It’s pretty easy. People are just rude sometimes, but it’s still good otherwise.”

Shikamaru knew all too well. People tended to act as if their servers weren’t people who had lives on the other end of the eatery themselves. They often used waiters to let off steam.

“Good,” Shikamaru gave a single head nod.

“I’ll go get those things for you,” Hizashi said before smiling to the two and leaving them for the kitchen.

“He’s doing well,” Shikamaru commented.

“Yes, he is.”

Shikamaru watched as the Hyuga eyed the table.

“You thinking about something?” The Nara asked as he reached for the saltshaker.

“I am worried about TenTen,” the Hyuga admitted.

“Well,” the Nara rotated the glass in his hand as he spoke, “I actually talked to Ino after the whole thing in the cafeteria. She said she was sorry,” he scoffed, “I think it took a hit in the face for her to see things outside of her own perspective for once,” once again, that same amused expression appeared on his face. He thought about the scene, but did not wish to laugh, “if I can get her to actually face TenTen and apologize like a normal human being, then I’ll try, but after hearing the truth about her dad, I doubt TenTen would care one way or another.”

Neji nodded as he watched the saltshaker that the Nara continued to play with.

Finally, Shikamaru placed the glass back next to the pepper cracker before continuing, “you know, we were lucky just to get out of that alive, all of us together. I mean, we knew that things wouldn’t exactly be normal once we got back, and everything’s a drag right now, yeah, but try to take some time to regroup or something.”

Neji still stared to the salt as the Nara spoke, still, every one of the boy’s words registered.

“I know you’re worried. What happened wasn’t fair for her, but take some time for yourself before you put yourself into other people’s hardships again, I mean,” Shikamaru glanced to Hizashi who poured water at the waiting stand, “you just squeezed your way out of what he’s brought you for months,” he whispered, “just take some time to settle down. Worry about your books for a bit.”

Neji shut his eyes, “I understand what you mean, but I cannot ignore my concerns that easily.”

Though it wasn’t personal, Shikamaru couldn’t help but feel a thought the Hyuga were calling him out for his care-free nature.

“Waters,” Hizashi announced as he settled the cool glasses against the table’s coasters, “your order shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes based off of what I’ve seen, but it’s only been a couple days since I’ve started, but the pizzas were usually quick. Do you guys need anything else?” He asked as he looked over the table, “oh! Straws,” he smiled forgetfully before handing said straws to the boys, accidentally providing three as opposed to two, “sorry,” he apologized before taking the excess straw and tucking it into the pocket of his apron, “okay, anything else?” He questioned as he surveyed the surface.

Shikamaru shook his head.

“No, thank you,” Neji dismissed.

“Okay,” Hizashi said, but he did not leave. He hovered silently until Neji finally looked to him, “nothing,” Hizashi assured, “it’s just, I’m glad it’s over, well, for the most part,” he mumbled.

Neji inhaled through his nose before looking back to his glass.

“I know you don’t really care for me because I haven’t been there, but I’m just so excited to see you. I can’t even explain how crazy it is, I mean I’m glad Hiashi was the one to raise you. You’re so strong, handsome too,” he complimented, “something tells me you’re doing great in school too, right? Well, Hiashi told me, but I could already tell.”

Neji said nothing. With each passing second, Shikamaru grew more and more uncomfortable at his silence.

“Well, I’ll leave you both alone, but I just wanted you to know that if you need anything, I’ll be here. I don’t mean just food either. I mean, if you need to talk or have questions or if you just,” he dulled a bit, “need to blow off steam or anything at all, I’m here,” he promised with a nervous smile before leaving the two to wait for their meal in peace.

Shikamaru cautiously eyed the male across from him before leaning against the table to stir the water with his straw. Before dropping his gaze to the ice that swam in the glass, the Nara could take a pretty good guess on what events played on in the Hyuga’s mind. He knew the elder had both of his friends heavy on his mind. If it wasn’t TenTen, then it was Sasuke.

. . .

“Neji!” Hanabi yelled at the top of her lungs before tearing through his door and jumping onto the boy’s bed, landing directly on her elder brother.

Neji’s eyes shot wide open as the wind left him.

“They shortened his sentence!” She yelled even louder.

“Hanabi, be quiet or else I won’t repurchase your gaming system!” Her father shouted, but the girl disregarded it.

Neji rubbed his eyes after shoving the girl to the other side of the bed. He sat up and stared drowsily before her words sunk in, “they…”

“He’s getting twenty years for money laundering!”

Neji’s hope plummeted. He supposed it was better than a life sentence, but two decades was still much more than the man deserved, “how many people has he killed?” He asked.

“Just his parents, but he was still laundering money,” Hanabi said, “I think this is supposed to be them being lenient.”

“There’s not much else we can do,” Hiashi said as he appeared in the door, wiping a bowl down with a wash cloth, “he was forced into it, but the court preferred to see him risk lives instead of just moving money around.”

There was nothing anyone could say to really defend the Uchiha. What he had done was done without an attempt to escape it. Itachi had accepted his situation for what it was and followed orders. Regardless of what it was for, he had done it. That was all the court saw.

“Izumi visited earlier and thanked us for the support,” Hiashi informed.

Earlier? Neji looked to the clock that sat on his nightstand and narrowed his eyes to find that he had slept in until noon. He sighed. He was taking more time to adjust than he had thought.

“If you slept in this long, it means you needed it. You have been working harder than you ever have even before everything. If you need to go back to sleep, then I’m sure Hanabi would allow it,” Hiashi glared to the girl who was now hanging upside down over the bedside. The girl then fell against the floor purposely before leaving the room to take after her sister.

“Hinata!”

“Hanabi, be quiet!”

“Is everything alright?” Hizashi called from the bottom floor.

“Gods,” Hiashi exhaled before shutting Neji’s door.

Itachi was getting twenty years, but nothing has been said regarding Konohamaru’s mother. Neji blinked a couple of times as he tried to wake himself further. He caught a glimpse of something sitting on his desk and rose from the sheets to observe it. It was a box with a phone on the front. He removed it from the packaging and lifted the brand-new device. Immediately, the cellular powered on displaying the exact setup he had before parting ways with his previous one. The screen timed out, reflecting Neji’s image from the black glass. Neji stared to himself before eyeing another box. It was a laptop. Both devices were replaced sooner than he had expected.

He opened the door to his room and fixed his mouth to call for Hiashi who he considered to still be his father, but he remembered what became of it last time. He shut his mouth and made for the man’s room instead.

. . .

“They’re not letting her out,” Shikaku claimed as his instant noodles rotated in the microwave.

“I didn’t see them letting her out, if I’m being honest,” Shikamaru lied his head against the table and continued to click his pen.

“What about Konohamaru?” Neji asked, pausing his calculations.

“I heard Naruto’s family is taking him in,” Shikamaru answered, “but that’s just what I heard, I don’t know if it’s true,” but it was probable given their closeness.

“I can only image how angry that kid is,” Shikaku began as he removed the noodles from the microwave, “I hope he can stay on track with school and life in general, but that shit really fucks with a kid. Isn’t he your sister’s age?”

“Yes,” Neji said.

“Damn,” Shikaku cursed under his breath before sitting at the table.

“Choji said people were stopping by Naruto’s place and giving the kid gifts and stuff for his losses,” the younger Nara added, “it’s just…”

“Sad, I know,” his father finished.

They each then sat in silence as they thought over the matter. Nothing was the same after all.

. . .

“Alright is everyone done?” Hiashi asked.

He was answered by silent confirmations before he gathered each of their written letters to Itachi to slide into the mail. They dedicated that day to thank the man for everything he had risked trying to save them from a life of crime and even certain death.

“How are you?” Hinata asked.

Izumi offered a dim smile with a faint nod before she dropped her marker to the table, “thank you all for doing this.”

“It’s the least we could do,” Hiashi assured as he stacked the letters neatly.

“Thank you, Haku for going to each of our demonstrations,” the woman gently smiled to the quiet boy.

Haku dropped his eyes to his hands that rested against the tabletop as he nodded in return.

“I know the sentence is better than life, but it still doesn’t feel right,” Izumi sighed as she bared her elbows against the table, burying her face into her hands. Her engagement ring was visible to all which only darkened the woman’s situation.

Each one of them remained quiet as the woman silently let out her sorrows over the dining room table.

. . .

“Today was eventful,” Shikamaru’s comment floated in the air of the dark room.

Neji only thought about Izumi’s red eyes and her tear-stained letter that had more written on it than the rest of theirs. He gave the Nara a mental agreement, keeping his arm wrapped around the boy whose arm held him closely as they stared into the darkness of the room’s opposite wall. Shikamaru was spending the night that night, but neither of them could sleep. Their minds were clouded with everything that had occurred throughout the excruciating months of which they spent away from Konohagakure. Many of the images were much more traumatic at night. During the day, they were convinced that nothing had left a mark, but seeing piles of people drugged enough to be ripped from their homes was more traumatizing than they had thought. Getting stabbed repeatedly in the arms when left defenseless was traumatizing. Being held down painfully against the couch by men who had invaded the house was traumatizing. Being left without a guardian when people watched you was traumatic in every sense. Watching people bleed from bullets that were sent through their undeserving heads did more than leave a dent in their trains of focus. Everything had lasted over a span of months, week after week after week, but everything seemed to happen so quickly.

Neji thought of the bloody foam that Orochimaru had regurgitated.

Shikamaru thought about the feeling of the gun vibrating in his hand with each shot he took to end numerous lives.

Neji recalled the sudden, bone rattling explosion that set off in the Senju apartments.

Shikamaru remembered the gun shots that ended both Asuma and Hiruzen’s lives.

Neji saw the dream he had of the Nara bleeding out helplessly next to him. The vision of the boy’s exposed neck and the sound of him struggling to breathe pained him. He gripped the Nara tighter and it didn’t go unnoticed. Shikamaru held him closer in response, “we should sleep,” the junior said as if it were the easiest option available to them right then and there.

Neji nodded in agreement nevertheless, but he could not promise that he would deliver.

. . .

“Something blue,” Shikamaru said as he watched Neji who sat on the dock that stood over the murky lake. The Hyuga looked around for what the Nara had spotted as Shikamaru watched him. The Nara noticed the beginning signs of Neji’s lack of sleep. The way he blinked and stared off told him that he was missing hours of sleep that could serve him well when the day called for him to run for hours on end. Neji continued to turn from side to side as he searched the area tiredly for the object in the other’s mind. Shikamaru never took his eyes from the Hyuga, “you need to sleep,” the boy finally said.

Neji looked off into the lake and deflated just slightly, “I cannot.”

“I know,” Shikamaru sighed. He wasn’t exactly well rested either. It was a work in progress. The two looked into the water just before them and watched the green, murky water as it swayed gently in the light autumn breeze. It was Shikamaru’s idea to get out and just be around one another as opposed to surrounding themselves with anything that would remind them of anything they wished to forget. The stillness was hardly serving them anything other than an opportunity to fill the space with memories from not long ago. With them came worries that it may not be over or that something might go off with their backs turned, that bullets may go flying and they might not be as lucky this time. Shikamaru knew they were both thinking similarly by the look on Neji’s face. It was one of hopelessness, of fatigue yet weariness, “do you wanna leave?”

Neji shook his head.

Shikamaru sat quietly as he thought over what next. Surprisingly, he let out a laugh.

The Hyuga looked to the boy yet again finding his behavior to be rather peculiar.

“Do we need therapy?” The Nara asked comically. Right away he could tell that the other had taken the question seriously. His smile weakened, “you okay?”

“Only tired. Shikamaru, I do not see anything that is blue.”

“It’s actually the biggest thing here,” the Nara corrected as he ripped a wood chip from the dock.

Neji furrowed his brows as he looked for said object.

“Try higher,” the boy suggested.

Neji’s look of confusion fell into one of disappointment, “the sky?” He asked grudgingly before looking to the Nara who wore a childish grin. Neji stared to him. Shikamaru’s smile did not falter. The Nara stared right back waiting for a reaction from the senior.

“You can push me into the water if you want,” the junior offered.

Unexpectedly, the Hyuga leaned forward and shoved the boy towards the water before gripping his shirt, holding him up just before the Nara’s upper half tipped over the edge. Shikamaru’s eyes had widened in fear as soon as he saw the elder coming at him. Now, he stared to Neji in shock as the Hyuga looked right back at him with a calm demeanor. The senior was still and held the Nara at his mercy before offering the slightest upturn of the corner of his mouth paired with tired eyes which made the display more menacing than it would have been any other day. He pulled the younger back up and sat back as he watched the Nara feel his own chest in surprise. Shikamaru stared to Neji with an expression that told the Hyuga that he didn’t know what had happened. Still, he mustered an uncertain smile before settling.

“Scary,” he commented with a breathy chuckle.

Neji only looked back out to the lake with a faint smile.

“So, come to find out, the dance was postponed,” the Nara informed.

“How come?” Neji asked, facing the boy.

“First, the cafeteria building blew up, then I guess there was the whole thing with the gang activity and missing students and riots.”

“Those missing students?” He asked, knowing that the dance would not have been postponed only for the two of them.

“Yeah, apparently a number of them were abducted by the Senju. They’re safe now, but they had to cancel the dance because of it. They don’t have a set date, but my money is on it being second semester,” the Nara didn’t want to say he was glad because the circumstances of which the celebration was postponed were horrible.

“Are you asking me to the dance?” Neji asked with a small tilt of his head. His white eyes did not let up from the boy who continued to fiddle with the chippings of the boardwalk.

Shikamaru nodded, keeping his gaze to the wood, “if you have time.”

Neji’s eyes warmed as his faint smile grew. It was a smile that admired the other for all he put his effort into. He then turned his back to the Nara before lying back against the lap of Shikamaru’s crossed legs. Neji felt the coolness of the Nara’s rain boots against his bare neck, but he did not mind it. He stared to the sky that was blue mixed with a dull grey, whitened by the cool season’s dreary clouds. The wind blew a few stray strands across Neji’s face as he stared up to the boy who still waited for an answer although the Hyuga’s actions were enough of an answer alone. Neji simply rested his eyes and said nothing.

“Neji.”

Nothing.

“Is that a yes?”

A smug smile accompanied the Hyuga’s silence.

“Troublesome.”


	94. Chapter 94

“We’ve decided once the school year is over that we would move to Earth Country to be with Itachi,” Izumi said over her cup of tea.

“That’s a long move,” Hiashi returned before taking a sip of his own.

Neji had only heard it as he passed the kitchen on his way towards the laundry room. The room wasn’t far from the kitchen, so the conversation could be heard for every word.

“He still keeps in touch with Naruto, I don’t know if Neji knows him,” Izumi continued.

“He does. Naruto is Minato’s son, right?”

“Right, well, Sasuke keeps in touch with Naruto, and he said that Konohamaru is doing better.”

Neji dumped his clothes into the washing machine as they spoke.

“Come to find out, his parents were rarely home. He loved them, but he barely knew them. He’s mad that he was never given that chance. He was closer to his grandfather for years, but since he’s gone too, Konohamaru is feeling a little lonely is what Naruto says. I spoke to Naruto’s mother a bit about it. Kushina says that it’s doing the boy some good to have an older brother figure instead of being home alone like he used to be. She says he’s teaching him things and taking him out. Of course, every now and then the feeling of loss returns but it’s only natural.”

“Yeah,” Hiashi agreed.

“But overall, I think he’s doing well.”

“Good.”

Neji poured laundry detergent into the machine before shutting it and turning the knob to start it. It was good to hear that Konohamaru was doing better at all. Sasuke would be moving to finish his senior year in Earth Country it seemed. He only hoped he would adjust to an entirely different climate and culture so far away.

. . .

“Oh, you’re moving,” Naruto repeated somberly with a sad smile.

Sasuke only looked to the Uzumaki with an unreadable expression.

Naruto looked back up with a brighter smile, “you gotta be there for Itachi. I got it. I’m sorry everything worked out the way it did. It sucks what happened,” his radiance lessened as he admitted Sasuke’s relocation to himself, “it’s gonna suck without you here though. The guys’ll miss you.”

Sasuke continued to stare to the blond who rambled.

“At least we have until the beginning of break to hang out. I’m sure we could figure something out, right?” Naruto tried, finally catching the Uchiha’s eyes.

Sasuke looked away with a nod. His face was as blank as ever. None of the fighting spirit he had shown on screen was present. Anyone would have thought it was a completely different person as opposed to the Uchiha himself.

“Alright, cool,” Naruto said before patting him on the shoulder, “see you,” the Uzumaki said before running off for practice. Sasuke only stood in the hall staring to where the other had been standing. After being gone for so long, he was no longer a part of the team. He would have to work hard to catch up, and he found no point in trying to catch up when he would be leaving in just a few months.

Neji stood over the trash can of the restroom from where he had heard the conversation. He did not want to step out and interrupt anything that might have happened. The Hyuga stared to his reflection as he dried his hands. He inhaled and tossed the damp paper towel away before exiting the restroom where Sasuke caught his eyes. The Uchiha only stared silently before walking off. After everything they had faced together, he still pretended to be a stranger.

Neji parted his lips as he watched the Uchiha trail away by his lonesome for the umpteenth time since he had known him. He looked behind himself to find an empty hall before he decided to call after him, “Sasuke.”

. . .

“Someone get the door!” Hiashi ordered as he taught his brother how to keep the vegetables from burning.

Hanabi raced towards the door, jetting past her older brother. She opened the door to find the Uzumaki family along with Konohamaru. The two youngest locked eyes before Hanabi allowed them inside.

“Who is it?” Hiashi called out.

“It’s the Uzumaki!” Hanabi answered as she raced to the kitchen. She then came back and beckoned for Konohamaru to follow.

The house smelled of a warm evening feast that continued to sizzle on the stove as the dessert baked in the oven made entirely by the girls who were now trying desperately to clean the spilled flour. The mess only further frayed their father’s unsettled nerves. People had already started arriving; there was no time for accidents. Neji supposed the man could yell at him because he was the one behind the idea of hosting dinner for the different parties.

“Neji, check on the tea!” Hiashi yelled.

Neji did as he was told and monitored the tea as Shikamaru cleaned the dishes used to cook the meal.

“Thank you,” Hiashi nodded to the Nara who offered a calm thumbs up covered in suds from the dish soap.

Again, the doorbell rang, sending Hiashi into a string of quiet curses as he threw his towel down and went to answer the door.

“This was a good idea,” Shikamaru said.

“I wonder if he thinks the same,” Neji responded as he removed the tea bags from the large pitcher.

Shikamaru laughed as he dried the mixing bowls.

“Here, go ask if you can do anything else, I’ll dry those,” Shikaku said, taking the dish and drying towel from his son before whacking the boy in the arm with the cloth.

Shikamaru exited the kitchen leaving the rest to trip over one another. Soon, they heard the man of the house heading back towards the hectic area, “no that’s quite alright, you’ve done enough. You can wait until the food is ready. Hizashi! Take the cake out of the oven!” He ordered as he stepped over the pile that Hinata had swept up.

“Do you need help with anything?” Kushina asked as she stood in the entryway.

“No, just wait in the living room. Neji, bring them water,” Hiashi directed.

“Yes, sir,” Neji complied as he took glass after glass from the cabinets. Nothing spelled the scene out better than the word chaos. They were racing to finish everything before the last guest arrived. The Hyuga poured ice into the glasses and filled them with water before turning to almost run into konohamaru who had followed Hanabi into the cooking area. Konohamaru moved out of the way and caught one of the glasses that threatened to fall, “thank you,” Neji said as the boy gathered the other glasses that were giving the senior a hard time. Together, they brought the ice waters to the living space where the families were discussing matters unknown to them. There sat Izumi, Sasuke, Haku, Kushina, Minato, Naruto, TenTen, and her mother though those who had lost someone close to them were quiet. The two boys offered the dripping glasses to the guests.

“Thank you,” Kushina smiled. Her husband and son repeated after her as well as Izumi and Haku, but Sasuke and the rest remained silent. TenTen’s mother offered a thank you, but her daughter looked to Konohamaru uneasily. The boy returned the look before sitting next to his new family. Sasuke stared to TenTen who stared to Konohamaru who in turn avoided everyone’s stare. Neji watched as the living room’s tension grew until it became unbearable. He felt as though they were seconds from touching the unmentionable topic that he hoped they would avoid at all costs.

“Food’s ready!” Hanabi announced.

. . .

They all sat outside for the sake of space and mobility. A foldable table was topped with dishes of each entre and side. Off to the side sat the cake that the girls had put their all into. The conversation was light and casual. Neji watched Naruto and Sasuke. The two sat across from one another. Sasuke wore a faint smile that did little to liven up his pale skin and dark eyes, but it was the most lively that Neji had typically seen him and it always happened to be around Naruto. He was a fool to not have seen it before. Naruto wore his typical bright smile as his raspy voice told story after story but the Uchiha listened attentively, never taking a break to look anywhere else. Neji heard a small laugh in front of him and looked to find Shikamaru staring at the exact interaction as himself.

“Hate to see him go,” the Nara found himself saying although he wouldn’t have minded some time back.

“Yes,” Neji agreed. It seemed as if something might have finally started between the two even if it was just a deeper friendship that was more than just sports team deep. They seemed to be speaking one on one more often which was an improvement. The Hyuga’s eyes then drifted past TenTen’s mother who glared at him with the blaze of a thousand suns. He decided to ignore it as he had been for the past few minutes. TenTen told the woman the truth, and he knew she wouldn’t be happy about it. Now that she saw him for how he normally presented himself, she might have already figured the rest out herself. Neji continued to eat and pretend as if he saw nothing from the woman.

“The tea is great, Neji,” Izumi complimented.

“Thank you,” the Hyuga responded as he kept his head low.

“Good job on the cake, nieces!” Hizashi added.

“Thanks, Hinata did all the work, she just made me put it in the oven because she couldn’t stand the heat,” Hanabi said, “but I still risked my perfect skin to feed you all.” She earned a round of laughter for the part-goers which only boosted her ego.

“You did well with the cooking,” Hiashi prodded his brother’s arm with a gentle elbow.

The compliment meant more to Hizashi than the other knew. He smiled warmly, genuinely, “you helped.”

“And you saved it by not letting it burn,” the elder returned.

Hizashi laughed. Hiashi watched him with a smile.

Suddenly, it quieted as another voice rose, “I just don’t understand why they’d invite us to the same cook out as them. I’m not going to sit here and pretend like everything’s okay because it’s not,” TenTen’s mother commented under her breath.

“You’re right it’s not,” Kushina butted in, “but we aren’t here for us. We’re here for the kids who lost something in all this.”

“So, I have to pretend to give a damn about them after my husband died at his mother’s hands?” The woman argued back.

“Look!” Naruto yelled. His voice carried naturally so it was no chore for him, “the only reason why that stupid fight happened was because the Sarutobi and Senju did what you’re doing now! They hated each other for the actions of others. Yes, they share the same surname, but Konohamaru wasn’t the one who committed the crime! If they put their odds aside years ago, they wouldn’t see each other as targets! As soon as Konohamaru’s mom heard that someone of the Uchiha’s side killed her husband, she went to kill an Uchiha regardless of who it was! That hasn’t been the first time it’s happened like that, I bet, so let’s stop it right here and right now! No more fighting! They’re victims of loss just as much as you are! They lost their whole families!” Naruto exclaimed. He was teetering between passion and anger, but it got the woman to quiet down enough to sit, “let’s just enjoy the meal they worked hard on and get along the best we can. Konohamaru had nothing to do with it. Sasuke had nothing to do with it neither did the rest of us. I’m sorry for your loss but they can’t be held accountable for something they knew nothing about,” the Uzumaki then took a seat before angrily shoving vegetable stir fry into his mouth. He chewed angrily until he caught Sasuke’s unreadable gaze. Naruto looked away bitterly, “sorry, I got carried away,” he mumbled through the food that stuffed his cheeks.

“They trafficked my daughter,” the woman began slowly.

“The Senju trafficked her,” Shikamaru corrected.

“Then who am I to blame?!” The woman slammed the table.

“Hey! Knock my glass over and I’ll toss you over the fence!” Kushina shouted.

“Please calm down,” Minto begged, nervously grabbing her arm only for her to rip it away. Kushina lowered herself into the lawn seat and said nothing more.

“If you want to blame someone, blame the Senju and the Akatsuki. They were the masterminds behind everything. All the Sarutobi did was follow orders to avoid either being killed or starting a gang war in the middle of Konoha,” the Nara said as he picked at his food. He heard a chair scoot back harshly against the grass, but it wasn’t the woman. Konohamaru stood and raced to the house followed by Hanabi who called his name. Right before entering the house, the boy spun with tearful eyes and glared directly at the woman.

“I’m sorry I killed your husband!” He apologized sarcastically before slamming himself into the house.

Hiashi sat silently with his tight fists against the table.

“I’m sorry for this,” Neji apologized.

“It is not your fault,” the man said through gritted teeth.

TenTen’s mother now wept into her own hands as her daughter sat stiffly next to her.

Neji supposed that having them all there might have been a bad idea on his part, but he hadn’t expected anyone to blame the children who had endured just as much. Then again, those who grieved did not think rationally before acting.

Suddenly TenTen’s mother stood and rushed to the house. Hiashi, Shikaku, and Kushina all stood and took after the woman unsure of what she intended to do. Eventually, the rest of the adults followed until only the teens were left. They each stared to the back door to the house and waited.

“So,” Naruto began, “who are you?” He asked Haku who sat silently throughout the entire dinner.

“Haku,” he answered simply.

“Oh, are you related to anyone, or…”

Haku shook his head.

“Cool,” the Uzumaki nodded, “hey, Hinata, the cake was great,” he smiled.

“Thank you,” her voice was quiet as she lowered her head to hide her bashful expression.

Neji watched her and wondered how it would turn out between the three. He decided to dismiss it for now; school crushes were at the bottom of all else as of the moment. The house was still silent which was most likely a good thing.

“Should we go in?” Shikamaru wondered aloud.

They all stood without having answered the question and made their way towards the house, leaving everything on the table. Immediately upon entry, they saw TenTen’s mother holding Konohamaru as the two rocked gently as a way of easing themselves just slightly from the whips of everything that had been taken from them. The two cried in each other’s arms, but their tears showed of peace being made between them. They were no longer enemies to be weary around one another. They both saw each other as victims of the same offender at last, and they wept together. The adults only surrounded them as emotional support. Kushina kept her hand on the woman’s shoulder while Minato took a hold of Konohamaru’s. The teens made sure to shut the door silently as they came in. Regardless, their entry did not go unnoticed. The two parted as the woman ran her hand over the boy’s head, “I am so sorry,” she shook her head.

“It’s okay,” Konohamaru sniffled, wiping his eyes trying his best to hide his face from everyone that faced them in silence.

. . .

“It’s okay,” Shikamaru shrugged as Ino presented a white prom dress that had a sliver up the leg.

“Why do you keep saying that?” She hissed.

“It looks good,” TenTen complimented from where she sat next to the Nara.

“Both of you are like broken records,” the blond complained.

The Nara felt as though they had spent the entire day watching Ino dress, but the girl insisted that it was best to get a dress way before prom season to get the best ones and the best deals.

“Well, I was being honest. The dance is gonna be in the winter. The dress is white, so it matches the theme,” TenTen explained.

Ino looked to Neji, “what do you think?”

Neji nodded.

The girl rolled her eyes, “what do you think?”

“Gives you a little pudge up here,” Karui responded, grabbing onto her own gut, “I don’t like it.”

“Now, was that so hard?” The Yamanaka asked before shutting the door.

“I just can’t wait for winter break. It’s so close I can taste it,” Karui nearly moaned.

“What are you doing for break?” TenTen asked.

“Me?” Karui scoffed, “nothing. I’m relaxing. I’m not talking to anybody as far as I’m concerned which I’m not,” she answered before taking a sip of her smoothie.

“You have a date for the dance?” TenTen asked.

“Mhm,” she grinned, “his little friend,” she pointed to Shikamaru.

The Nara furrowed his brows, “Choji?”

Karui nodded flirtatiously, “he’s kinda cute. He’s real sweet too,” she swayed side to side like a schoolgirl who had fallen madly in love.

Shikamaru raised a brow with a smile, “well, alright then,” he said as he leaned back in the waiting room’s seating, “you want my seat?” He asked the male who stood to his left.

“No, thank you,” the Hyuga declined.

Shikamaru reached out and pulled the senior against his wishes and sat Neji down against his lap. He then strapped Neji down by wrapping his arms around the elder male’s waist.

“Nara,” Neji complained. He was embarrassed by the position, but Shikamaru ignored him and simply looked over the Hyuga’s shoulder to see what dress Ino would model next. It was a deep purple with a sheen to it. The bottom flared out like a princess gown and its ruffles were no ruffles at all, they were flowers. She looked as if she were straight out of a fantastical film. The sleeves were translucent and white with purple flowers sewn into the sleeve. The sleeves flowed like something from an extravagant robe. It fit her nicely.

“How about this one?” She asked as she turned to give them a view of the back which was entirely bare.

They all stared.

“Now, that’s more like it,” Karui cheered.

“I like it,” Shikamaru decided.

“Looks good,” TenTen commented.

“That one is better,” Neji added.

“Looks just like it was made for you. Now, can we go?” Shikamaru pled.

“I need shoes,” Ino looked to him from over her shoulder. Her smile was teasing.

Shikamaru tossed his head back and groaned.

“Look, you have a car. If you and Neji wanna go do dirt, then you’re totally free to leave,” the Yamanaka dismissed before bowing like a princess to test the dress’s mobility in the mirror.

“Woah,” the Nara took his arms from around the Hyuga right as Neji stood and distanced himself from the boy.

Ino let out a high-pitched laughter that was close to maniacal, “to be honest, I never would’ve guessed it would be you guys, you know?” She twirled to face her audience, “together?”

Shikamaru raised a brow, “why?”

“I didn’t know you swung that way, just thought you drooled over girls like other guys,” the girl said.

“I do,” the Nara confessed casually.

She froze as she thought, “so, both ways?”

“Either way, left, right, up, down, diagonal, horizontal, whatever, just stop thinking about it,” he grumbled as he sank in his seat.

“Hm,” Ino hummed, “okay!” She beamed before locking herself in the dressing room to present her next ball gown.


	95. Chapter 95

Neji leaned against the Nara as they sat comfortably underneath a blanket before the firepit in the Nara’s backyard. The flames that danced reflected in their irises colored on opposite sides of the spectrum.

“When does your father get home?” Neji asked, looking up to the boy who poked the fire with a long iron rod.

The Nara shrugged before dropping the pole, looking to the other who he wore on his sleeve, “you wanna roast marshmallows or something?”

Neji dropped his eyes to the boy’s collar before dropping his head back against Shikamaru’s shoulder. Again, he did not answer. The Nara guessed that the male was thinking it over until he felt a hand snake its way towards his thigh. Shikamaru lifted his chin as understanding sunk in. He relaxed as the Hyuga singlehandedly undid his pant button. Looking down, the Nara would have never been able to tell that Neji was doing exactly what he was doing underneath the blanket that stretched from either boy’s shoulder covering them entirely. Neji’s expression was still as he faced the fire much like he did before his hand worked the zipper of the Nara’s fly. Shikamaru tried not to allow his face to succumb to his arousal as he continued to watch the fire. The sensation of the Hyuga slipping his way through both the jeans and what he wore underneath was highly stimulating alone due to what Shikamaru was anticipating. He sank a bit lower in his seat and took in a steady breath once the Hyuga’s cool hand found its way to what it had been searching for. The Nara closed his eyes as the Hyuga gripped it enough to guide it from the pants to give him better access and movability. He held it delicately, teasingly. He watched how the Nara’s neck craned back against the back of the camping chair and felt a bit of pride come from it. He hadn’t even begun, yet he reduced Shikamaru down to something desperate. He traced his fingers up and down the length before fully wrapping his hand around it. He brushed his thumb over the head continuously just to toy with him until he heard a quick breath slip through the boy next to him. Neji continued to watch the fire blankly as his hand slid down the member and back up before repeating the motion in an agonizingly slow manner. He snuck a glance to the Nara whose leg had begun to sway side to side. Shikamaru bit his lip as his brows furrowed just slightly at the feeling that was painfully slow, but he didn’t seem to have the heart to tell the Hyuga what to do, so Neji continued to play with him a bit more. He quickened his pace, forcing a longer sigh from the other before he smeared the precum that had begun to bead from the head. He continued the repetitive motion until the Nara’s movements warned him of a release of which he responded to by slowing his motion. Another heavy exhale came from the Nara.

“Neji,” was the only complaint he gave the other.

The Hyuga felt a small smile in the corner of his lip as he watched the fire, but it fell quickly after. His hand was idle as his thumb brushed against the side of the length. He felt Shikamaru buck up towards his hand but Neji responded with a grip that was a bit harsh causing the Nara to hiss.

“Gods, why,” Shikamaru seemed like he wanted to let out a false sob, but it was only him being humorous. He laughed nervously, “Neji,” he complained.

Right on cue, Neji turned and lifted the blanket to head underneath and finish the job with his lips when they heard a disturbance in the grass behind them.

“Hey,” Shikaku greeted before sitting in the chair opposite from them.

Neji thanked the gods that he had not been far enough into his dive to raise questions. He pulled the blanket back over his shoulder but kept his hand wrapped around the Nara who had gone stiff. Neji eyed the beers that the man had brought with him.

“Work let out early,” Shikaku informed after sipping on the fizzy drink, “I didn’t know they’d give us free holidays, but I could get used to it after years of working on the road.”

His son offered a weak smile. Neji nodded, “that is good to hear,” the Hyuga responded.

“Yeah, I was just surprised because I opened the thing of oil to do the oil change or whatever – I don’t know the exact vocabulary for half the things I do – when my boss came over and said ‘hey, uh, Shikaku? You know we take off early, right?’,” the man laughed, “so, I just stared at him dumbfounded. I just said no and the guy slapped my shoulder, called me a big dummy, then told me to lock up once I cleaned myself, so,” he looked back to the two who were still frozen stiff. The man’s presence had driven them close to cardiac arrest, “anyways, something tells me I interrupted a talk or something. You two are all cute and cuddly with a fire,” he laughed, “I remember those days. You guys help yourselves if you want,” he kicked the box of beers before standing and gulping down the last drops of the can before leaving the two.

Neji watched the man up until Shikaku shut himself into the house. He then looked for any open windows that could expose them and found that each pane was blocked by either a curtain or some blinds. He then looked back to Shikamaru who still stared to the fire in shock, “are you…” Neji began.

“Just do it quick,” Shikamaru whispered surprising the other.

Neji tossed the blanket over his head before bending over to reach the Nara’s lap.

Shikamaru continued to watch the fire as a new warmth – piping hot compared to the night air – engulfed him. His eye twitched before his lids fell. Again, his head fell back against the chair he sank into as the warm suction held all of his senses. He placed his arms onto the chair’s arm rests to avoid touching Neji, but the Hyuga then lowered himself from his chair, bewildering the other. The Nara looked down to see the other on his knees still under the coverage of the orange fleece blanket. Shikamaru’s hand shot up and hovered over Neji’s head before stopping itself. He felt the Hyuga gently guide his hand towards the back of his head which only put the Nara in an even more impossible situation, “Neji,” he whispered wearily, nervous that his father would come out for another beer. It hardly mattered since he was so close already. He felt the bundles of his nerves tightening. It was like a knot that grew rapidly as Neji’s tongue explored the length of his sex. Shikamaru ran his hands through the Hyuga’s hair as he let out another breath. His head fell back against the chair as Neji pushed him to the edge, “Neji,” he called quietly yet warningly.

Neji took the memo and bobbed his head a few more times, worrying the other.

“Neji!” The Nara exclaimed in a whisper. Nothing he did to hold back was of any use. Right before he peaked, Neji swiftly removed his mouth from the member, replacing it with a hand to finish the job. Shikamaru allowed himself to buck up into the touch now that he didn’t need to worry about choking the other. Soon enough, he came with a sigh of satisfaction before grabbing Neji’s wrist to get him to stop, “here,” Shikamaru removed his flannel and used it to clean the mess for now before tossing it into the grass. As per usual, he wore a sweatshirt underneath, so he did not lose much insulation. He cooled down as Neji tucked him in before he came back up to join him by the fire. His hair was ruffled by the blanket combined with the Nara’s rather rough hand, but he did not seem to mind.

“Sorry,” Shikamaru apologized.

Neji shook his head.

“You want a beer?” The Nara offered.

Normally, Neji would decline anything alcohol infused, but considering the salty flavor had just been in his mouth, anything to wash his tongue would be satisfactory. The Hyuga nodded approvingly not trusting his voice in the moment.

Shikamaru stood, allowing the warmth underneath the blanket to seep out into the night air. Neji was unbothered due to the sweltering heat that had swelled when he was submerged in the cloth. Shikamaru returned with two cans and opened both for them, “here,” he handed the drink to the male who eyed the liquid before sipping it. The taste was unlike anything he had before, and it must’ve been obvious from the way Shikamaru laughed by his side, “I know, it’s not great, but I don’t have mints.”

“You have had it before?” Neji noticed.

“Yeah, living with a guy like him, it was pretty much inevitable. We stayed stocked up,” the Nara responded as he drank the liquid like water, “I can go get you something else if you want.

Neji shook his head, “this is fine,” he said as he curled up in his seat.

“So,” Shikamaru began, unsure of how to word his idea, “have you done that before?”

“Never,” Neji frowned.

“Could’ve fooled me. You don’t have to do it again if you don’t want,” the Nara assured.

Neji only silently sipped the beer a second time suppressing the grimace that only crinkled his nose.

“Don’t force it,” the Nara laughed, “I’ll get you something else. The kitchen’s right there.”

Neji sat silently eying the fire before forcing the drink, finishing with a bitter expression. He covered his mouth to stifle a burp.

“Oh shit,” Shikamaru cursed under his breath humorously.

Neji furrowed his brows and shot him a questioning look.

“Nothing, nothing, it’s just…”

. . .

The two Nara males watched Neji as he lied against the couch looking as if he were having an existential crisis. He was silent and did not move. He only stared with a worried expression fixed to his face.

“How did you let this happen?” Shikaku asked.

“You’re the one that gave us the beers,” Shikamaru raised a brow.

“You know him; I don’t.”

“What the fuck does that have to do with anything? Look, I can’t take him back home like this.”

“Well, shit, how many did he have?” Shikaku asked as he studied the Hyuga.

“Like three fourths,” the Nara deadpanned.

“Call Hiashi, tell him he’s spending the night.”

“I can’t just do that. He’s not even supposed to be out this late.”

The ring of Neji’s phone made them jump. Unfortunately, Neji answered it before either of them could snatch the cellular from his grasp, “hello?” Neji asked as the other two winced silently, “oh, hold on,” he said before distancing the phone from his ear and covering it as if it were an old rotary phone, “it’s my father,” he whispered before placing it against his ear, “yes?” The volume was high enough for the other two to hear.

“How long do you plan on staying out? Do I need to come get you?” Hiashi asked impatiently, “put Shikamaru on the phone. He’s your ride or should’ve been an hour ago,” little did he know that his voice did not require the extra volume. Still, Neji did as told, “Shikamaru?” Hiashi asked after a few silent moments.

Shikamaru bit his lip nervously and exchange a look with his father, “yes?” He answered, “Sir?” He corrected.

“Where are you?” The man asked.

Shikamaru spun in place before facing the phone again.

“What’s wrong?” Neji asked worriedly. Something was wrong. Neji’s face was the most pitiful that either Nara had even seen him.

“No, nothing’s wrong, um…” Shikamaru shut his eyes as his mind raced.

“We were wondering if he could spend the night,” Shikaku answered for him.

It was silent which only caused Shikamaru’s pulse to crash against his throat on and off.

“Next time, communicate that with me, so that I’m not waiting in the living room for an hour,” Hiashi barked, “I’m not bringing you anything either, Neji, since you decided not only to fail with communication, you did not plan this out.”

Neji bit his lip as his eyes fell to the ground, “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

No. No, no, no, he was seconds from crying. He was a sentimental drunk.

“Neji? Are you alright?” Hiashi questioned.

“Yeah, just sad,” the Hyuga answered as he wiped his face.

“Are you crying?!”

Neji’s cry turned into a hysterical laugh, “no.”

“Neji!”

“Bye!” Neji sang before ending the call.

Both Shikamaru and Shikaku stared to him in shock. Hiashi would never allow him on their property ever again.

Neji’s phone rang again, “oh no,” the Hyuga frowned before handing the phone to one of the other two. Once Shikaku took it, Neji curled up on the couch and used a pillow to block his ear from the man’s voice.

“Neji!” Hiashi souted.

“I’m sleeping!” Neji shouted back. It would take a miracle for Hiashi not to believe the boy was drunk at that point. There was silence all over again, but the numbers on the screen continued to climb as the seconds passed.

“Fine then, go to sleep. I’ll be there first thing in the morning,” Hiashi said before ending the call.

Neither of them could tell if the man had figured it out or not. All they knew was that they were in the thick of it now. They watched Neji whose face was still covered by the pillow. It was impressive just how much the Hyuga was able to curl in on himself and maintain the position. Shikaku raised his brow.

“What’s he doing? If he’s playing peek-a-boo, I’m leaving you by yourself,” the man said.

“No, we just need to put him to sleep and we won’t have to worry about it,” his son approached Neji and gently tugged the pillow only for it to be yanked back down, “Neji, what are you doing?”

No answer.

Shikamaru inhaled deeply before sitting next to him. He hoped the boy would just fall asleep right there, but Neji only sat up and lowered the pillow enough for the Nara to see his dampened eyes.

“Why are you crying?” Shikamaru asked a bit insensitively.

Neji made a face that signified more tears before he buried his face back into the pillow.

Shikamaru sighed, “I’m sorry. Why are you crying, Neji?” He asked more gently, easing a hand against the Hyuga’s arm.

Neji took some seconds to calm down before speaking. He sat up from the pillow that now sat against his lap, tear stained. He stared to the Nara through puffy eyes before surveying the room. He then shook his head, “everyone hates me.”

The words had been shocking, “what? No, they don’t.”

Neji wore a sarcastic smile as he weakly shoved the Nara away.

“I’m serious, Neji.”

The Hyuga let out a pained laugh before looking back to the boy, “well, I don’t blame them,” he said through a drunk smile, “I’m a stick in the mud.”

“Neji,” Shikamaru began.

“A stick with a stick stuck in his ass,” Neji tilted his head at the thought.

Shikaku slowly blinked wishing he could leave the two alone for some sleep, but he had to be able to say he at least stuck by their side through the night.

“No one hates you,” Shikamaru repeated.

“You do.”

“I don’t hate you, Neji.”

“Okay, well I do.”

“You,” Shikamaru narrowed his eyes as his words sank in, “hate yourself.”

“Mhm,” Neji nodded with a smile.

“Why?” Shikamaru asked worriedly before looking to his father to make sure they were both seeing this.

“Because,” Neji’s voice went quiet as he stared to the wall blankly. His eyes began to tear up all over again. He bit his lip.

Shikamaru held both of the Hyuga’s forearms gently as he listened.

“Because I started the cookout when things got out of control and everyone fought,” the tears trickled, “I didn’t want anyone to fight,” his voice turned into a whisper.

“It’s fine, Neji,” the boy assured as he pulled Neji in and rubbed his back, “remember they made up in the end. We’re all friends now because of you,” he spoke gently as he looked to his father who offered occasional nods of approval.

“You’re friends?” Neji asked, peeling himself from the Nara. He looked to him questioningly.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru nodded, “friends. We’re good.”

Neji’s stare went blank as he wiped his face. He slouched as he looked to the couch. He spaced out, “I’m tired.”

Finally.

“That’s fine. Let’s go to sleep,” Shikamaru stood and held his hand out to Neji who hadn’t moved. He watched as the Hyuga began to frown and fell forward into the thick pillow that sat in damply in his lap. Shikamaru dropped his hand and sighed, “what’s wrong this time?”

Neji answered, but his words were muffled by the pillow.

“What?” Shikamaru asked tiredly.

Neji lifted his head, “I think you were lying outside.”

Shikamaru’s eyes widened with the menton of anything that had taken place outside, “alright let’s go to sleep.”

“How could I be good my first time? I’ve never ever…”

“Okay, Neji.”

“Ever had a penis in my mouth in my life,” Neji dragged out.

“Gods,” Shikamaru slapped his hand against his forehead before exiting the living room.

. . .

“So, I guess what I’m saying is I’m never taking you drinking,” Shikamaru finished before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Neji was frozen by the story and its events. He only stared to his lap as the boy next to him finished his plate and tossed it into the trashcan of the automobile repair shop.

“You boys ready to go?” Shikaku stepped in front of the pair with a dirty rag tossed over his shoulder. He smiled, but Neji couldn’t help but feel humiliated under his stare.


	96. Chapter 96

“Neji, can you hand me the scissors? They didn’t cut these snowflakes out right,” Karui complained from where she stood on a ladder. It was the first Monday after the end of winter break, and the school club stayed after school to plan the design of the school dance, “I was thinking the snowflakes could look more like this. They should be more delicate with more holes and cuts. I don’t want it to look like we folded paper in half and ran the scissors through it with our eyes closed,” Karui explained as she cut an example.

“I see what you mean. That looks a lot better,” Sakura complimented as she tied her hair back.

“Neji?” Karui questioned as she held the prototype towards the male.

Neji only nodded.

Karui lowered her hand to the gym floor and scrutinized him. Neji looked to her waiting for her to say something if anything at all before the stare became uncomfortable. He furrowed his brows in question.

“You good?” The red head asked.

“Yes,” Neji assured as he stood, “where should the food and drinks be?” He asked as he looked around the space.

“I was thinking towards the gym entrance. Between the doors is an empty wall space that we could take advantage of,” Kakashi suggested.

“That will work,” Neji agreed.

“Where should the DJ be stationed?” TenTen asked the Hyuga.

“On the opposite end of the gym underneath the basketball net,” he answered.

“Exactly,” Tenten spun to face Lee who had disagreed with the idea seconds ago. The two volunteered their time to help the club with the arrangements, but they mostly disagreed on the location of various decorations and tables.

Lee only pursed his lips and looked away.

“Hey, Neji,” came a familiar voice. It was smaller than it typically was.

Neij faced the entrance of the gymnasium to find Kiba Inuzuka making his way towards the group that was working tirelessly to plan everything efficiently. The Hyuga unfolded his arms as the boy approached. He was not as intimidating as before. He was slimmer and seemed a bit paler than usual. His eyes were slightly darker on the bottom lid which only made his smile look even faker than his current situation made it. His jacket now hung off of him just a bit as he came to a stop right before the Hyuga who had yet to say anything.

“Hello, Kiba,” Neji finally greeted.

Shikamaru stared to the newcomer. He leaned against the gym wall and tilted his head waiting for Kiba to reveal why he was there, maintaining his typical calm demeanor.

“Hey, I’m just wondering if you guys need any help,” the boy said.

The others who were putting time in drawing things out and pulling items from the storage room tried to stay on task as the interaction played out. Even Kakashi stopped to watch the two since he already knew of the fight that had erupted months back. He was an instructor that was rather popular amongst students who needed to get things off their chests. It was rare that something went on without the man knowing.

“Yes,” Neji responded. The situation was even odd for him, but he did not wish to take vengeance. He only hoped that the boy had gotten everything out at the party, “if you are up to it, we have to count chairs to see if we need to purchase more.”

Kiba nodded before settling his hands into his pockets. He let out a shaky breath. Everything about him yelled of insecurity.

“We were hoping for at least thirty-five since it is a dance after all. Not many people will care for sitting, and if they do, then we have bleachers,” Kakashi swept his hand charismatically across the gym area with a smile.

“Okay,” Kiba nodded, “I’ll do that,” he said before heading towards the storage closet, keeping his eyes to the floor. Everyone watched him until he disappeared into the back closet towards the locker rooms.

Neji felt the Nara walk behind him.

“Still don’t like him,” the Nara spoke quietly.

“I know, but I do feel as if he truly wishes to make things up,” Neji narrowed his eyes, “but, if he touches Hinata, I will return to him what I held back during the party.”

. . .

“And that concludes our session. From what I hear, you’re getting along nicely considering everything that’s happened, but during our next session I want you to remember that this is a safe space where nothing is outrageous. Everything stays within this room. Unless it’s life threatening, I have no business telling even your father,” the woman said as she stood to get the door for the Nara, “you have a good day now.”

Shikamaru stepped from the room and walked towards the front of the house to find Neji waiting with a cup of tea, “this shit is so overrated.”

Neji stood and followed the Nara through the door, “we promised our fathers that we would go through with it.”

“I just don’t get how talking to someone is gonna erase everything.”

“It will not,” Neji said, facing the boy once they reached the porch of the home, “it will only make it easier to cope with it until time helps wear it down.”

Shikamaru knew he was right, but he could only think about the money aspect of it.

“I know that you do not wish for my father to pay for all of our sessions, but he does not wish to put it on your father. He knows that he is busy,” Neji continued.

“Still don’t like it,” Shikamaru said as he entered his father’s car. Neji followed and blew over the cup of tea a third time, “but a promise is a promise I guess.”

. . .

Shikamaru let out a long groan, disrupting the silence of their makeshift study hall.

He caught Neji’s attention who sat next to the boy on the Nara’s bed. He only watched Shikamaru until the groan left him breathless. Finally, the Nara collapsed backwards against his pillows and shut his eyes, feigning a snore. Neji shut his chapter book. Shikamaru was tired of working and seemed more than willing to drop out at that point. Shikamaru tossed a pillow over his face.

Neji put his book to the side before removing the pillow and placing himself on top of the boy. He lied against the other and connected their lips. It was a surprise for the junior, but it wasn’t an undesired one. He allowed the sudden affection as Neji moved to his neck. He simply kissed the same spot rhythmically which had become a sort of massage after some minutes. Shikamaru shut his eyes, humming in satisfaction occasionally. The Hyuga then lifted his head and looked down to the junior whose eyes opened at the sudden interruption.

“What was that?” Shikamaru asked through a smile.

“That was our break, now we have to work,” Neji answered simply like he would have any other time.

“Mh,” Shikamaru hummed in consideration, “can I take two breaks now and just work even longer later on?”

Neji stared to him for some seconds as he considered it, “we need to catch up on our assignments,” he saw the Nara beginning to complain but cut him off with another unexpected kiss. It was gentle and brief but did the trick, “we have to.”

Shikamaru only firmly held the Hyuga before turning over to where the two switched positions. He buried his face into the crook of Neji’s neck, “I can’t focus after you pulled something like that.”

“Figure out how to,” Neji ordered calmly.

“I know you can’t focus either. Why pretend?”

“Shikamaru.”

“I can feel the evidence,” the Nara claimed in something akin to a growl as he moved his thigh just a bit to get Neji to stir.

“Nara,” it came out less demanding than it had been before. It was weaker and more willing to succumb to Shikamaru’s desires.

“Just a few minutes,” Shikamaru pled as he continued the motion between the Hyuga’s legs.

“Nara,” Neji sighed, “I am tired.”

Shikamaru rolled off the senior and looked to him, “okay then we can sleep.”

“I need to study, Nara,” Neji’s tone was the most bite that the other had ever been subjected to. Immediately afterwards, the Hyuga regretted his lashing out. He exhaled to calm himself. Shikamaru could take it easy whenever he wanted. The work came easily for him, but Neji was not on his level of genius. It would take more time and effort for him to complete the tasks given to him. Shikamaru’s silence was nerve wracking but not as nerve wracking as feeling the Nara leave the bed entirely. The junior walked from the room wordlessly leaving Neji with no idea of how to take it. Neji lightly bit his lip as he stared to the papers before him. He shut his eyes and condemned himself for the lack of emotional control.

“We have green citrus tea, apple cinnamon, Bengal something, and chai,” Shikamaru said before entering the room with boxes of different teas.

Neji never took the Nara pair as the type to care much for tea, so it was an odd sight.

“You should start drinking it. I had to just about slap box my dad into buying them,” so, the Nara had gotten the teas for Neji. He should have known.

Neji only stared to Shikamaru apologetically.

“It’s cool. I know you’re stressed. Just tell me which one you want. I’ll figure the rest out,” the Nara said as he read the boxes that he held under his arms.

“I’m sorry,” Neji apologized regardless.

“No, I should’ve just listened to you the first time. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“You did not. You were right. I wanted to, but I truly did wish to stay focused,” the Hyuga then looked to their books.

“Oh, okay,” the Nara put simply, “so, which flavor do you want because I’ll probably try some just to see what the excitement’s about. You want do chai?”

Neji nodded as he continued to stare to the paper that sat on the bed before him. His hair covered the side of his face, giving the Nara nothing to read. Neji then felt the bed dip next to him before gentle hands brushed his hair back enough for the Nara to deliver a kiss to his cheek. Shikamaru then dismounted the bed and left the room to begin boiling the water.

“Hey, I don’t know what it’s about, but they have cinnamon sticks on the cover of the box,” the Nara called from the kitchen, “can I just play around with it? Do you care? I kinda wanna make it match the box. Looks cool. Do i need milk for this?”

Neji smiled before leaving the bed along with its piles of paperwork, “I will help.”

. . .

Neji walked alongside the mixture of his and Shikamaru’s friend groups as the day concluded. They each wandered towards the parking lot to leave the campus for the day.

“It’s bad that you guys were chased down, but I would’ve never known how cool of a guy your boyfriend’s people were,” Darui grinned coolly, tilting his head towards the group of the more popular students.

Naruto smiled brightly before wrapping an arm around Darui’s shoulders before Darui kicked the back of the blond’s legs in until his knees buckled.

“Yeah, I guess that’s one way to look at it,” Sakura admitted.

TenTen rolled her eyes, fighting a smile at the sight of Naruto chasing Darui all around the rest of the friend group. It was like watching two little boys.

“We would’ve never gotten together either,” Karui said, keeping her arms wrapped around one of Choji’s who only blushed bashfully with a smile.

Shikamaru looked to the two as a warm smile began to express his happiness for his best friend, but it was disrupted by a loud crack that sounded from the parking lot. Shikamaru felt the color drain from his face and his heart jump to his throat as he whipped his head around looking for either the shooter or their victim. Hinata ducked and held her head and her brother’s eyes widened greatly, grasping onto the Nara. All three of them held their breath as they looked around. Their feet begged them to run as their friends stared to them cluelessly. Neither of them seemed to feel as though they were being threatened.

“It was an old truck. His exhaust pipe is loud,” Darui said.

The three breathed harshly as they caught their breath. Naruto helped Hinata up from the cement and held onto her to give her a sense of security as Shikamaru did the same for Neji. Shikamaru and Hinata still stared in shock as Neji shut his eyes, trying to calm his chest from the painful panic.

“Shit,” Darui said as the rest watched the reaction of the three. The large group gave them time to calm themselves before taking another step.

“Sorry,” Shikamaru breathed out mindlessly. He then frowned after proving to himself just how seriously he should be taking their sessions. He rolled his eyes shut, keeping his arms around the Hyuga who stood, thinking about the loud sound repeatedly. Hinata was silent even after Naruto released her. She suddenly seemed insecure of her own safety as she shrunk behind the Uzumaki.

“No, it’s cool, man,” Darui said, resting a hand against the Nara’s shoulder, “you’re good.”

. . .

The psychologist removed her glasses and smiled to both boys as soon as the clock hit the end of the hour, “I feel as if this session was more progressive than the last. I believe having you two in here together enables your willingness to speak. It could be a matter of familiarity and the comfort that come from it, but we can try the same method next week if you would like,” she smiled.

The two remained silent. Shikamaru looked to Neji who nodded for the both of them.

“Perfect,” the woman finalized before standing to let the boys out.

. . .

“When’s the dance again?” Darui asked before biting down on his sandwich.

“This Saturday,” Sakura answered.

“Choji, I didn’t know your parents’ place was this good,” Karui complimented after sipping her tea.

“Thanks. I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear it,” he blushed as he scratched the back of his head. He then jumped just slightly at the playful kick his childhood friend delivered to his shin underneath the table. Choji looked up to find a smirking Shikamaru Nara right across from him. Choji returned the smile, knowing that the Nara’s expression was congratulating him on the new date. The Akimichi then eyed the Hyuga that sat next to Shikamaru. The Nara smiled at the return of congrats before leaning back in the booth.

“What are you guys doing?” Sakura asked after watching the seemingly telepathic discussion.

“Nothing,” Choji dismissed.

“Being boys,” Karui corrected.

“How is everything?” Hizashi asked, stopping right at the table with another tray in his hand meant for the next table over.

“Good,” Sakura smiled.

“Neji, he looks just like him but not at the same time,” Karui whispered.

“What do we call you?” Choji asked.

“Mr. Hyuga, of course,” Sakura answered in a hushed voice.

Hizashi shook his head towards the formal addressment, “Hizashi is fine,” he promised through a smile, “well, I’m glad everything’s good. Just flag me down if something’s wrong,” he said before continuing to the booth adjacent to them.

“So, you’re telling me you never even knew he existed before you met him at the park?” Karui asked.

Neji looked to the girl, surprised that she even knew that much.

“Sorry, I told Choji,” Shikamaru admitted over the rim of his cup.

“And I told Karui,” Choji lowered his head slightly.

Neji was not upset. It was to be expected, “No, I did not know,” the Hyuga answered.

“That’s crazy,” Karui exhaled in disbelief.

Neji nodded tiredly. Anything involving the man seemed to be as much.

“Where’s your friend? Doesn’t he usually hover around you guys?” Karui questioned.

“Oh, Naruto? He’s been checking in on Sasuke a lot recently, and I don’t blame him,” he smiled bitterly to the table, “I check on Sasuke sometimes, but he isn’t open towards me. At least, he’s not as open towards me as he is to Naruto, so I guess it’s just a guy thing which I understand.”

Shikamaru remained silent and sipped from his straw after exchanging glances with Neji.

“Well, as long as he’s not alone. I mean being stuck with no one but your sister in law’s gotta be tough,” the red head continued.

“Yeah,” Sakura sighed.

“Who’re you taking to the dance, Haruno?” Karui questioned curiously.

“Sasuke,” the girl smiled more warmly.

“Cute, and I’m assuming you two are going together,” Karui looked between the Nara and Hyuga on the other side of the table. She got two nods in response before she continued to the next person, “Darui?”

“Honestly, Omoi and I were gonna go just to be the two single guys that hang out by the punch bowl,” the boy responded, “does Naruto have a date?”

“Last time I heard, he was going with Hinata,” Sakura answered.

Karui snorted, “wait, who is Ino going with?”

Sakura thought it over for a moment, “for her to be as popular as she is, I don’t think she’s going with anyone. She didn’t tell me about a date. She just showed me her dress.”

Karui laughed at her old rival turning up single by the time the school dance came around. After enduring years of the Yamanaka’s condescendence, it was more than simply satisfactory to the red head, “everybody likes her, she’ll find somebody last minute,” Karui added to make her laughter less teasing.

“She could,” Sakura considered.

“Everybody know what they’re wearing?” Karui asked.

Neji furrowed his brows. Shikamaru pursed his lips. The two then looked to one another before their eyes wandered the rest of the diner.


	97. Chapter 97

“I could just borrow something from my dad,” Shikamaru said.

Neji paused at that but continued walking through the store, telling the Nara that it wouldn’t do.

The Nara sighed, “why didn’t we do this when we came with Ino? Neji, isn’t this stuff expensive?”

“Do not worry,” the Hyuga began as he looked through the rows of suits that hung on racks.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Hizashi will be paying for it,” Neji said.

Shikamaru stopped in his tracks for a moment. He had expected to hear that Hiashi will be paying for their expenses again, but he supposed he would see Hizashi in the restaurant regardless of the hour.

“He has been working hard to be able to afford it in such a short amount of time. I told him to save to pay for his rent, but he refused to listen to me,” Neji explained before facing the Nara, “so, he will be paying for both of us.”

“Hiashi?”

“He will be paying for Hinata’s,” the Hyuga responded.

It was still taking the Nara some time to process it. The man seemed rather selfless. It was only his thought processes that needed questioning. Apart from that, he was harmless it seemed, “okay,” Shikamaru said reluctantly, still hating the idea of using the man’s money when he was already sitting between a rock and a hard place financially. He watched as Neji raked through the clothing hangers and occasionally pulled a suit set to observe. Nothing the Hyuga scanned seemed to capture his interest.

“What color are you looking for?” The Nara began.

“I am unsure,” Neji was never one for shopping.

“Okay, well I think you’d look nice in white,” Shikamaru said, “try looking for something light.”

Neji looked around to only find suits of varying blacks, greys, and deep blues. The lightest he could find was of a beige. The corner of his lip twitched, begging to form a frown, but he settled on looking away from the selections.

“There are other stores, you know?” Shikamaru said as he grabbed a suit that he figured would fit him.

Neji watched the boy as he displayed his simplicity, “it is only a suit for one night. It does not have to be a chore.”

Shikamaru shook his head before guiding Neji towards the check out counter with a hand to his back, “don’t settle. The only reason I’m being easy is because I hate shopping; it’s a drag. We’re gonna find something for you.”

“That is not necessary,” Neji turned to face the racks, “I will go find a suit and come back. Wait here.” He was then stopped by a hand that gripped his wrist gently but firmly.

“There’s a store that we passed on the way here. I think they have stuff there that would look good on you,” he said as he leaned against the countertop, “just give it a chance and if you don’t find anything, we’ll come back here and ‘settle’,” he concluded. He knew the other had heard him out at feeling Neji’s slight resistance ease into nothing, “trust me. The stuff was nice.”

. . .

The two entered the store. It was brighter. The lights overhead beamed white. The floor was a lilac color that complimented it clothing selection. Many of the shop’s options were white with patters that were mosaic, classical painting, or floral pattered most of which were of pastel shades. Shikamaru looked to Neji to search for the male’s opinion. He decided that they would not be immediately walking out once he saw how Neji’s attention shot from place to place. The colors were captivating, and the atmosphere was serene like something of the heavens. Something that Shikamaru thought much of the Hyuga.

“Hey,” the Nara caught the other’s attention, “I’ll be sitting in the changing room. Just look around and show me when you come back there,” he said earning a nod from Neji before the Hyuga’s eyes panned back out to the selection. There was no doubt that anyone would be able to scrap something up from the shop that was suitable to the dance. There were articles that could either be formal, semi-formal, or casual depending on how the wearer dressed it up or down. Shikamaru carried his bagged suit over his shoulder as he continued towards the back, looking over the jewelry section and shoes racks, adorned by shoes that were shined to perfection. He sighed, thinking about the dent they were putting in Hizashi’s paycheck, nevertheless, he sat in one of the chairs of the waiting room and looked to the large, bag that he lied across his lap. The music was clearer in the back. It was unsurprisingly classical music, mostly piano. He leaned his head against the wall and shut his eyes from the walk. The store just so happened to be on the other side of the mall from their initial stop, so it was a rest well-deserved in the Nara’s opinion. He listened as the clicking of shoes echoed towards him. He lifted his head from the wall and opened his eyes to avoid being accused of loitering only to find Neji already making his way back to the dressing room with a number of fabrics hanging from his arm.

“Would you like to see?” The Hyuga asked.

Shikamaru looked away before shutting his eyes, “on you first,” he answered. He then heard the door of a dressing room shut before daring to open a single eye. He listened to zippers unzip and clothing sliding to and fro as the Hyuga got undressed to try the clothing. Shikamaru slouched in the chair as he watched the door lazily and waited for Neji to present himself. Once the sounds stopped, the Nara knew that Neji was observing himself in the mirror before opening the door for all to see.

Neji unlocked the stall door and let the Nara decide for himself.

“Turn,” Shikamaru ordered as he looked the Hyuga up and down. The outfit consisted of white pants, a white buttonless suit jacket, and a black turtleneck to contrast it, giving it a modern sleekness that complimented Neji nicely. The Nara grinned at the image, “I like it.”

Neji turned to look into the full body mirror as his mind teetered.

“You don’t?” Shikamaru asked.

Neji did not answer, “I have another one,” he said before walking back into the changing room.

“It was nice,” Shikamaru added.

“It was fine,” the Hyuga responded.

The Nara’s smile grew as he slouched back into his seat. He listened to Neji get dressed as minutes passed before he heard the click of the lock again.

Neji stepped out in a white button-up covered by a pale lilac vest. It was paired with trousers that matched the base color of the vest. Right on cue, the Hyuga spun to give the Nara a full view.

“You pull off anything,” Shikamaru complimented smugly.

Neji looked to his reflection before looking back to the junior who still watched him, “which one was better?”

Shikamaru shrugged.

Neji looked back to his reflection, “There is one more,” he informed before drifting back into the dressing room.

“Keep them coming. You look great. Maybe we could get them all and just have you change throughout the dance,” the Nara joked as Neji dressed in silence. Shikamaru smiled lazily to his own joke as his head fell back against the wall behind him.

The lock clicked before Neji joined the Nara. He now wore a loose-fit, long sleeved top that seemed rather breathable that was tucked into high waited trousers that hugged his waist nicely and gave him a shape that was rather pleasing to the eye. The pants themselves were a pale lilac as well which complimented the male’s exotic eyes. The way his dark hair flowed down the bright white made him look like a beauty that was not from Fire Country, but from some ethereal land of clouds.

“If the looseness of this top does not work, then I could replace it with a white turtleneck,” Neji suggested as he looked to how the upper half of the shirt poured over where it was tucked. He fastened the top button of the article of clothing before looking to Shikamaru who had been staring to his waist.

“Uh-huh,” the Nara nodded.

“Are you tired? We can go back.”

“No, I’m just having a hard time deciding. They’re all nice.”

Neji looked to his image in the mirror and tilted his head as he studied the look from head to toe, “the shirt is a bit large,” he considered before turning back to the Nara who had been staring to his back side.

“I like the pants,” Shikamaru decided.

Neji looked down to the trousers that hugged him comfortably, “I do as well.”

“Whatever you do, just get the pants and pair it with whatever you’ve got in there,” Shikamaru said as he stood from his seat. He left his suit in the chair before walking into the changing stall. He sorted through the items that the other had selected, “maybe you can combine it. You have that white suit jacket, the light purple vest and a turtleneck. What if you kept the trousers, got a suit jacket that has the color of the vest and wore a white turtleneck underneath?”

Neji considered it as he approached the Nara. He too looked over the articles of clothing he had chosen and imagined how it would look before leaving the boy in search of something that matched the description.

Shikamaru waited, keeping the dressing stall’s door opened until Neji returned with something similar to what the junior had in mind.

“Yeah, that works,” Shikamaru said as he held it up over the Hyuga’s torso. The Nara nodded to the V-neck blazer that would expose the white turtleneck in mind very nicely, “oh yeah,” he grinned.

Neji raised a brow.

“You’re gonna turn heads for sure,” the Nara commented under his breath before handing the blazer to Neji to try on. He then exited the stall and flopped back into his seat as he waited for his masterpiece to be presented. He then eyed his own suit that sat just next to him.

. . .

“See?” Shikamaru pointed to the value with the end of his pen, “you got it. I don’t think you need to practice logarithms anymore.”

“How was shopping?” Hiashi asked as he entered the dining area having just arrived home from work.

“Fine,” Neji answered.

“Good,” the Nara added.

“Find everything you needed?” The man questioned.

“Yes sir.”

Shikamaru nodded.

“Alright, well Hizashi is working overtime tonight, I’m going back out to get him later. I was going to stop somewhere and pick up dinner for the rest of us. Shikamaru you are welcome to stay,” Hiashi informed.

“Thanks, but I should get home,” the Nara declined. It wasn’t like him to turn down an offer to stay, “I’m just tired.”

Neji looked to him. Both he and Hiashi had found it surprising.

“It is no big deal for us to pay for dinner. The rest of us are eating after all,” Hiashi assumed it was an issue regarding payment.

“No, I’m not hungry. I wanna talk to Dad before he comes home and crashes,” the Nara said as he stood.

Neji still found it odd, but he supposed everyone needed their space, so he asked no further questions.

“Thanks for having me,” the Nara said, nodding to Neji and Hiashi before leaving the Hyuga household for the night.

“He’s leaving? I never thought he would,” Hanabi said suspiciously.

“Everyone needs alone time,” Hiashi said.

“Well, yeah, but I would’ve thought that Neji would push him away before Shikamaru ever would. It’s weird,” Hanabi continued as she approached the two from the living room.

“Hanabi, don’t make Neji worry. It’s like Father says,” Hinata defended, “Shikamaru is probably tired.”

Neji hadn’t moved or said a word since the boy has left.

“It looks like you’re getting plenty done,” Hiashi commented, looking over the pile of paperwork, marked with problem solving and notes.

“Did I do something?” Neji asked suddenly before looking to Hiashi. His stare was still blank with a tinge of worry.

“No, Neji, don’t worry about it. Trust me; I’ve had my fair share of high school relationships. Space is necessary for couples across the world and he’s just taking his. He won’t be gone forever,” Hiashi humored himself, but it did not seem to ease the other’s mind. Hiashi cleared his throat awkwardly, “so, can I see what you’ll be wearing to the dance?”

Neji only continued to think about what it was that he might have done to chase him off. He remembered studying at the Nara’s house and raising his voice when the boy continued to distract him. He then frowned.

“Neji,” Hiashi spoke.

“I yelled at him,” the younger said.

“You yelled?” The man raised his brow doubtfully.

“I did not yell necessarily, but I was needlessly louder than I should have been.”

“Well, did he anger you?” Hiashi pulled a seat to sit down next to the boy.

“Well, yes, but I should not have been angry. He only wished to take a break from studying but I was stressed.”

“Did he know that you were stressed?”

Neji remembered the Nara giving him space and returning with boxes of teas, “yes.”

“Then, if he’s understanding, he’s probably forgotten about it by now. You know how he is. Nothing seems to stick to him anyways,” Hiashi dismissed before standing, “Neji, you’re worrying too much. You two have been inseparable since our arrival. Space is healthy. Trust me. It’s going to be fine. He’s still taking you to the dance and helping you with your assignments is he not?”

“Yes.”

“Then, don’t worry. Please, get rest.”

Hanabi laughed, “you’ll see him tomorrow morning on the bus. If you’re that worried, then text him. Maybe he got bored.”

“Bored?” Neji’s frown deepened as he remembered turning Shikamaru’s advances down on that day.

Hinata approached the group with a shake of her head, “he isn’t bored by Neji. Every time I pass by them, Shikamaru is admiring him while he works. He still cares for you.”

Neji only frowned to the table before standing and heading towards his room with his phone in hand.

. . .

“Why did you ignore my call?” Neji asked as soon as the Nara sat right next to him.

Shikamaru gave a look of confusion, “my phone did die last night actually. I didn’t charge it until this morning, so,” he took his phone from his pocket and opened his calls to find that there was in fact one missed call from last night, “oh. Sorry.”

Neji said nothing. He told himself that he was overreacting and needed to calm down as opposed to making a big deal out of something so small.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I actually went out to exchange my suit for a different one that costed about the same. That’s why I left early. I had to go make the exchange before Dad’s shift ended.”

Neji nodded wondering why the Nara didn’t simply say that at the dining table the previous night.

“Are you mad?” Shikamaru asked the Hyuga who watched as houses passed the bus windows.

Neji shook his head silently, “I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“Getting worked up over nothing.”

Shikamaru laughed, “it’s fine, I don’t blame you. I would’ve freaked out if you just left out of no where too. It’s understandable, but I swear my phone just died while I was out last night.”

“I believe you.”

A loud bang sounded from the roof of the bus, chilling everyone to the bone. The bus driver wasted no time in parking the bus and rushing down its steps to observe what it had been. The bus load was very similar to that day, so it had silenced everyone on board. Some turned away while others stared attentively through the windows to find the driver letting out a sigh of relief. The woman stepped back onto the bus, immediately gaining the attention of everyone on board, “It was only a thick branch. It fell from the tree,” she explained before setting the bus back in motion, ignoring the cars that rushed past.

Shikamaru laughed nervously, “oh, shit,” he sighed.

Neji fell back against the bus seat and shut his eyes. He shook his head of the image of Sasuke’s relative splattered across the walkway.

“That’ll be one for the next session,” the Nara mumbled.

. . .

“I’m sorry,” Neji heard a hiss of an apology from around the corner that led to the senior lounge. It was Kiba. He stopped to listen to the conversation once he heard the sound of Hinata responding.

“Kiba, I’m worried about you, but it wasn’t okay what you did to Neji back then. I know it was a while ago, but it’s still wrong,” Hinata spoke, “I care about Neji and you hurt him and Shikamaru.”

“I’m sorry,” it sounded forced, “I wasn’t in my right mind. I had too much to drink,” it sounded like an excuse more than an apology.

“You hurt him and said hurtful things when you did it,” Hinata said softly.

“I can’t remember,” Kiba nearly stuttered.

“Kiba, I’m glad that you’re recovering. I wish you well with it, but you shouldn’t have hurt my brother and friend like that.”

“Hinata, I was drunk, and I can’t even remember what all I said and did.”

“That is not my fault,” her tone was sturdier, “you shouldn’t have been drinking in the first place. I’ve always cared for you and I can’t help that I still do, but it’s unforgivable and inexcusable. Neji spent years in discomfort and disgust with himself before he was even slightly comfortable with being honest to himself. The last thing he needed was for you to call him those things, Kiba!” Her firmness surprised even her brother. It was shocking enough to halt Kiba’s attempts at excusing himself from his past actions, “alcohol doesn’t make you a new person, it just leaves people unfiltered and that’s what you were. You were honest,” she said before Neji heard her approaching his corner. Neji’s eyes widened before accepting that there was no where he could go before she’d catch him.

Once Hinata rounded the corner, the two Hyuga met eyes before Hinata’s surprise turned into something of a warm, comforting smile, “hi, Neji.”

Neji tipped his head in greeting before offering a small smile of his own, “thank you, Hinata.”

Hinata shook her head bashfully, “for what? I only did what any sibling should have done. It wasn’t right. I might not have seen all of it, but I heard about it afterwards and I was angry, but I didn’t know how to…”

“Express it?”

Hinata nodded before her brother held and arm out, bringing the girl towards him, “I love you, Neji.”

Neji rested his head over the top of Hinata’s, “I love you too.”


	98. Chapter 98

Neji looked through the selection of bread and compared it to the photo that Hiashi had sent him. He scrutinized the choices presented to him on the shelves of the grocery store but could not find a match. He began to notify Hiashi of his shortcomings when someone behind him called for his attention. Neji turned and faced the person, keeping his shopping basket hooked in the crook of his arm.

“You’re friends with them. You can talk to them. Get her out,” it was a Sarutobi.

“I have no control over it. I am sorry for what took place, but I have no authority over what is decided by the police,” Neji responded as calmly as one could in the face of a man who seemed to tower over them.

“I remember you guys at the station. You seemed biased towards the Uchiha anyway, so it doesn’t surprise me that you wouldn’t even try. I bet you went to that damn parade,” he meant the protest in Earth Country.

Neji’s face stiffened at that.

“Well, then,” the man lowered his voice and stepped forward, triggering Neji to back up just slightly only to bump into the shelves behind him, “just talk to them,” the man gripped his arm. It wasn’t a painful grasp, but it was firm enough to be inescapable. The man’s face came in alarmingly close to his own to make sure that the Hyuga had in fact got the message, “she’s still serving for man slaughter while your Itachi is getting left off the hook,” though he still had twenty years, it was shorter than what Konohamaru’s mother would have to serve, “alright?” The man’s voice was quiet but gruff.

Neji looked away due to the uncomfortable proximity. His pulse had risen. He only looked towards the man once a third hand came in to separate them.

“Alright, something tells me you two aren’t on great terms,” an employee shoved the large man back and stood in front of Neji. It was Shikamaru’s friend, Neji remembered. He had directed them towards the spray paint what seemed to be a lifetime ago, “go on, get lost,” the worker nodded his head towards the exit, “doesn’t look like you’re buying anything anyway.”

The Sarutobi stared harshly to Neji over the worker’s shoulder. It was no longer a begging expression. It was a hard glare that told Neji that he might have made it to his bad side, but the Hyuga was clueless as to what the man had expected him to do. It seemed as though the large man had gone delusional from the loss leaving Neji to wonder if the rest of the Sarutobi were in anything similar to his state. Neji lowered his gaze and waited as the man finally left the two in a rushed, angered step. The employee then turned to face Neji to make sure he was left unscathed.

“You okay? I think I recognized you from far away. There aren’t many guys with hair like yours or girls if I’m being honest,” the worker began.

Neji looked to his name tag. Kankuro. He then nodded insecurely, “I am fine,” he then remembered that he had been the one to sell Orochimaru’s drug for him all that time ago, “Thank you,” he said, “for everything.”

Kankuro nodded, “So, what did you guys do with the cans of paint?”

“I would rather not speak of it,” Neji spoke quietly, looking around for familiar faces.

“Well, how’s Shikamaru these days? I haven’t seen you guys come in for some time.”

Neji nodded, “it has been some time.”

Kankuro studied the Hyuga as his fright sank to exhaustion, “are you okay?”

“Yes. Thank you,” Neji then remembered the bread that Hiashi had asked for and unlocked his phone, “does this store carry this brand?”

. . .

“Did you catch his name?” Shikaku asked.

“I did not,” Neji denied.

“No, Shikamaru, under,” Shikaku sighed, “Gods, I’m so sorry for being gone so long. You can’t even tie a tie.”

Shikamaru deadpanned at his father finally voicing the obvious. He simply dropped his hands having had enough of fumbling with something he had no idea of how to do, “do I need a tie?”

“I’m letting you borrow mine to learn, just try.”

“I am trying,” his son remarked under his breath before continuing the mess of a knot.

“Anyways, Neji, it’s a shame you didn’t catch his name. All we needed was a name to tie it to an address,” Shikaku continued.

“An address?” Neji questioned as he watched Shikamaru struggle in the mirror.

“I would’ve beat his ass,” the elder Nara said before sipping on a can that was most likely beer.

“That is not necessary,” the Hyuga assured.

Shikaku let out a gruff chuckle, “yeah, okay.”

Neji was still put off by it all. It was unsettling that the stranger would have even thought to tie him to police affairs. He then stood and approached Shikamaru who still played tug of war with the neck accessory. Neji mindlessly tied it for him as he thought, “it could have been a final desperate attempt to free her,” the Hyuga considered.

“Possibly,” Shikaku shrugged, “you tying it for him isn’t gonna teach him how.”

Shikamaru then untied the knot and replicated the algorithm perfectly, “why didn’t you just show me how to do it?”

“I didn’t know you’re a visual learner,” Shikaku defended, “but look at you, you got it.”

Shikamaru shook his head to his reflection, “thanks, Neji,” he said as he began to untie it, “if you need to go anywhere, just let me know and I’ll go with you. It’s kinda freaky that he’d even show up like that.”

“It’s fucking weird is what it is. Just catch his name next time,” Shikaku added.

“He was large,” Neji said.

“You saying I’m no match? I’ve fought big guys that people would call bears. I’ve fought freaks, Hidan included. He bit the hell out of my hand a while back and actually broke skin.”

Neji frowned at the idea.

Shikamaru scoffed, “probably because you were drunk.”

“Because I was drunk! You can’t feel a thing when you’re drunk. It helps in combat,” he grinned lazily.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, “that reminds me. Stop drinking like you have the liver of a horse.”

Shikaku shrugged, “here for a good time, not a long time.”

Neji watched Shikamaru’s reaction to his wording. His hands seemed to tense as he wrapped the tie around them.

“Okay, well, I’d like to have you around for some time if it isn’t too much trouble,” Shikamaru spoke calmly, “if you die from alcohol poisoning then it won’t be long before Mom dies from lung cancer, and if I either have to bury you before I graduate college or take care of you instead of my own kids, I’ll make sure you two are tossed into the same casket,” though his tone was mellow, his words had bite.

Shikaku grew silent at that. Neji averted his eyes wondering if he should leave the two to sort things out.

“I’ll talk to Yoshino,” Shikaku said finally.

Shikamaru sighed his frustration away, “you know she doesn’t listen to you.”

“Well, if you tell her off the way you just did me, then she’ll probably open those tone-deaf ears of hers.”

Shikamaru eyed himself in the mirror before deciding to practice the knot all over again.

Shikaku placed a hand against his shoulder, “listen, your dance is coming up. I want you to have fun and not worry about me and your mother making it through the night,” he offered a light smile then offered one to Neji, “both of you. I mean it. Now,” he gave his son’s shoulder a couple of pats before taking to the kitchen, “anyone want half assed nachos?”

. . .

“They just showed up talking about ‘he’s one of us! He belongs with us!’, but Mom got her pan hot off the stove and started waving it around until they ran off,” Naruto explained loudly through the phone.

“Woah, is it the first time they’ve tried to take custody of Konohamaru?” Sakura questioned.

“They gave his dad an anonymous phone call some days ago,” Sasuke said.

“Sasuke’s there?” Sakura raised a brow.

“Oh, yeah,” Naruto turned to face Sasuke who ate from a large chips bag in the background, “he’s been here for a few days, but Mom started heating up the pan the minute she heard the doorbell,” Naruto laughed, “no one scares her.”

Neji watched Sakura’s smile fall into one that could only tell of her uneasiness. He could feel the jealousy seeping through the screen although he was sure that not even the girl could understand the feeling as jealousy. She most likely thinks that her only competition is Ino who hadn’t said much of anything since the group call commenced. Their problems were none of her concern Neji supposed.

“Ino Pig,” Sakura called, effectively getting the blond to lift her phone.

“What, Billboard Brow,” the Yamanaka answered with half a face of makeup.

Naruto fell back against his bed laughing at the image.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing, idiot. The dance is tonight, and I gotta be ready. Why are none of you getting ready?” Ino questioned.

“It isn’t until later tonight. The sun is still up,” Naruto exclaimed humorously.

“Ugh,” Ino rolled her eyes before lowering her phone and putting the rest on mute before turning up her own music.

“I guess she’s got a point. I should start figuring out how I’ll do my hair,” Sakura giggled, “I’ll talk to you guys later,” she smiled more genuinely before leaving the call.

“Alright, so it’s just the boys now. What are you doing, Neji?” Naruto asked more boisterously than necessary.

“Working,” the Hyuga answered. He had miraculously stayed focused throughout the call.

“Oh yeah, Sasuke’s got a lot of stuff to catch up on too. At least you guys are back,” the Uzumaki wiped the tears of joy from his eyes. He had laughed himself until he cried at Ino’s half masked appearance, “well, I’m gonna go. We were gonna go get suits.”

“This late?” Neji asked.

“Yeah, well, it’s no big deal. It’s our first actual school dance. We’ll have another next year,” Naruto put simply.

“I see,” the Hyuga found sense in that.

“Alright, see ya!” Naruto then left the call, leaving Neji and Ino to stare at one another. Really, Neji could only watch the girl’s ceiling, so he hung up and focused back on the task at hand.

. . .

Neji placed the final hair pin into his sister’s head full of hair where the girl had directed it and placed his hands on her shoulders as the two marveled at her reflection. Neji smiled to the girl who was elated by her transformation. She looked as if she could scream.

“I’m glad that you like it,” her brother figured it was safe to assume as much.

The girl then twirled and looked to the elder boy. She wore a navy-blue dress that faded to transparency the lower it went. There were jewels stitched into the dress giving it the appearance of a starry night. Unlike the rest of the students, the girl had insisted on matching the theme and the dress was perfect for the dance’s winter wonderland. Neji faced her in his own suit. It was pale enough to be considered snowy, so it would pass. The two smiled at each other until Hinata bobbed up and down excitedly before looking to herself again. She wore an updo that was decorated with jewels that matched her dress. Two curls spilled down before her ears to shape her face touched up by a deep purple lipstick paired with a generous amount of mascara. She wore slight blush that complimented her snowy skin to finish off the look. Neji had suggested the colors of the facial, and the girl had thanked him profusely.

“Hinata,” her father called before knocking on the door.

“Come in,” the girl said, readying herself for the man’s entry. As soon as she met her father’s eyes, she smiled and twirled for him to show him every inch of her look for the school winter dance.

Hiashi was stunned as a smile grew on his face. He stepped in slowly and turned on the light to help the lamp in illuminating his daughter, “look at you,” he said as he studied the curls of the girl’s hair, “well, you look wonderful,” he hugged Hinata who giggled just over his shoulder, not wanting to ruin her make up.

“Thank you,” the girl returned.

“And the shoes?” Hiashi questioned.

Hinata lifted her dress to reveal heels that could pass as glass slippers.

“Wonderful,” Hiashi complimented through a smile before eying the girl’s face again, “you look just like your mother.”

Hinata’s own smile turned into one that reminisced. She let out a single breath of laughter that threatened to turn into tears. The two hugged again and clung even longer. Neji watched the two until Hiashi looked to the boy, “you look great, Neji,” the man said, detaching himself from Hinata who now fanned her eyes with gloved hands, “the color is amazing,” Hiashi complimented as he studied Neji’s suit. He felt the fabric of the suit jacket with approval, “is Shikamaru still picking you up?”

“Yes, sir.”

Hiashi smiled to the boy who he still considered to be his only son. He gripped his shoulders before pulling him into a hug, “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered.

Neji’s eyes softened at the kind surprise. He smiled as Hiashi parted ways with him.

Hiashi took his phone from his pocket and backed away from the two, “Now get together, so I can take photos for Hizashi to see once he’s off work.” He had been left out of far too many family events already.

. . .

Neji shut the front door behind himself before approaching Shikamaru’s car that waited for him by the curbside. It was dark by then and the temperature had plummeted, so Neji wasted no time in climbing into the vehicle. He let out a final breath of vapr before looking to Shikamaru whose suit was white paired with a lilac tie. It wasn’t the suit that he had mindlessly grabbed days back. It had to be the one that he had gotten in exchange.

“You look great,” the Nara complimented, bringing Neji back down from his own mental captivity.

“You do as well,” Neji returned after realizing that Shikamaru had intentionally matched their suits. He smiled similarly to the boy who took off from the house towards the school.

They drove through the night, listening to the Nara’s eccentric music. It was a different genre after each song, but it told Neji that this was all real. The Hyuga smiled as he sank into the car seat.

“The hell?” Shikamaru whispered.

Neji opened his eyes to find that the road had been closed, but there was no construction or news of damage, so it seemed sudden. Still, the Nara turned off onto the detour that led to a road that was less traveled because of the potholes. The road was incredibly uneven, so the Nara slowed the vehicle. Shikamaru sighed as he reached for his phone.

“Shikamaru!” Neji yelled before something hard hit the front of the vehicle, shocking both boys stiff.

“Shit,” the Nara said before unbuckling his seat belt. He rounded the front of the car and motioned for Neji to come out.

Neji joined the boy to find the same man from the grocery store out cold against the rocky road with a gun that seemed to have fallen from his hand.

“Did you see what happened?” The Nara asked, feeling significantly less guilty at the sight of the gun.

“He jumped from the woods. I suppose he thought that you would have stopped, but he was aiming the gun towards us before you hit him,” Neji said.

“Good, keep that crystal clear in your mind,” he said as he hoisted the man up.

“What are you doing?” Neji asked as he watched the boy place the man in the backseat.

“I’m gonna take him to the hospital, and hope that he doesn’t wake up along the way.”

. . .

“You were driving, and he jumped out in front of your car with a gun aiming to kill,” the detective questioned. He wasn’t Itachi, but he was an Uchiha.

Shikamaru nodded tiredly.

Neji’s phone vibrated. He ignored it. It was most likely their peers wondering where they were.

“To be fair, I looked down for a second to see if the route was right which was when he jumped out. Neji says the same guy was threatening him in the grocery store yesterday, so it makes sense that he’d want to hurt either one of us, but we don’t know exactly why,” the Nara explained.

“You should have alerted us when that took place,” the man said as he clicked his pen.

“Yeah, well you guys are sort of enemies, and we didn’t want to spark another flash war,” Shikamaru defended.

“You still gotta let them know when stuff like this happens,” Shikaku scolded calmly.

“I understand, but we are still police. With the Akatsuki out of the way along with the Senju, we can focus on local criminal activity. We’re trying to turn everything around and gain the people’s trust. Just know that you can confide in us if you are ever in danger. Coincidently, this man is actually someone that we have been on the lookout for through the past few days. He was reported for breaking and entering,” most likely the Uzumaki and Konohamaru dispute, “I’m not saying that I’m glad you hit the man with your vehicle whilst averting your eyes from the road, but we have him now, and he’s wanted for quite a few things.”

Hiashi exhaled to calm his mind. Neji looked to him, tempted to apologize, “detective,” Hiashi began, “will this hold us for the entire night? You see, these two have a school dance to get to.”

The Uchiha looked over their attire at the mention of a formal, “explains it.”

“Can we go?” Shikamaru questioned impatiently. The man had held a gun towards them and handled Neji in the store not too long prior. He had broken into the Uzumaki household and tried to take custody of a child that was not his. He was more than deserving to be hit by a car that night.

The detective clicked his pen and tucked his notepad into the pocket of his peacoat. He looked around and lowered his voice, “something like this could get your license suspended.”

Shikamaru seemed to shift a bit at the mention of a license. Still, he kept his calm eyes on the questioner.

“But, you stood by us, and I know we’re supposed to be turning the police department around, but let’s be honest. That guy deserved it. He was dangerous to just have walking around doing whatever whenever,” the detective added.

Shikaku raised a brow, “you letting them off the hook?”

“For tonight, enjoy yourselves. We’ll continue going through the formalities another time, preferably during the week,” the Uchiha decided, “but, keep this from reaching any outside ears,” he pleaded as he surveyed the hospital area.

“Alright,” Shikaku stood and stretched, “I gotta get back to work, you two make it to the dance this time.”

“Yes,” Hiashi followed, “be safe, and call me if something happens.”

“We will be fine,” Neji assured.

Hiashi gave him one last look to make sure that they were on the same page.

“We will be alright,” Neji reiterated.

Hiashi nodded before looking to Shikamaru, “keep your eyes on the road,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Shikamaru smiled, though Neji couldn’t help but feel as though he were mocking the man’s sternness.

. . .

The car rolled to a stop. Shikamaru put it in park and ran a hand down his face mumbling incoherently into his palm.

“Are you alright?” Neji asked.

The Nara chuckled, “just hope I didn’t spark something by hitting that guy.”

“They said his vitals were stable once we left,” Neji reminded him.

“Yeah, but I still hit him, and something tells me he was the one to move the signs around. He had to know exactly who we were. Let’s just hope he doesn’t know where we live.”

“He had to have been, but why would he wish to hurt us? Does he truly believe that we are capable of freeing the woman from prison?”

“Hell if I know,” the Nara shook his head as he turned off the car’s heater, “maybe he’s one of those, an eye for an eye fanatics,” he turned the key and removed it from the car wheel before swinging his door open, “let’s just get through tonight.”


	99. Chapter 99

Shikamaru opened the door for Neji whose anticipation had died after the interrogation in the hospital’s waiting room. His mind was apart from current events but was returned at the sight of the dark gym with deep purples and blues dancing across the ceiling. The winter décor sparkled along the walls along with the foil fringe that shined as it draped over the bleachers – all but the bottom row – that had been pushed into the wall to expand floor space. The music was loud as the attendees were cheerful as their dance with dates or groups of friends.

“Are you guys just now getting here?” Darui asked with a cup of punch in hand.

Omoi followed behind him to greet the two with a cup of punch as well, “I was staring to think you got into a wreck or something.”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Shikamaru nearly groaned in annoyance at what had taken place before their arrival.

“Well, you missed like two hours. Nothing really happened, though,” Darui filled the two in before taking a sip of the pink drink.

Shikamaru looked unenthusiastically towards the crowd to find Choji slow dancing with Karui although the song wasn’t fit for it. They still swayed against one another to the fast-paced music as countless people gyrated around them. It eased the Nara’s nerves enough to wipe his look of annoyance clean. He then felt Neji hold the one hand that was not slipped into his pocket. Shikamaru looked down to their joined hands before looking Neji in the eye, “oh, so what do you wanna do first?”

Neji looked across the crowd to find Naruto dancing foolishly in front of Sasuke who only watched him icily, but there was an odd fondness about it that told the Hyuga that he rather enjoyed the comical boy’s presence. Not far from them, Ino danced joyfully with TenTen. It was more like hopping in place, but it was much better than seeing TenTen sitting over the Yamanka holding herself back from caving her face in. Beyond them danced Sakura along with Rock Lee surprisingly. Neji supposed TenTen had invited the boy and they all got to know one another enough to be one large group with mutuals. Unsurprisingly, Shino Aburame was in charge of the dance’s music which seemed fitting given the boy’s seemingly lack of social desire. Not only that, but the school was never one to spend money senselessly, so hiring him saved plenty the Hyuga was sure. He took requests and did the job proficiently. Neji slightly smiled at the sight of everyone he knew simply dancing as if no one was watching. It calmed him in a sense.

“We could dance,” Shikamaru suggested.

Neji’s guard rose instantly.

“Yeah, I figured as much,” the Nara had expected the reaction, still he directed the Hyuga towards Choji and Karui.

“Hey, Shikamaru,” the Akimichi greeted as soon as the two were within range to hear him.

“Hey, you made it! I was thinking you guys were doing some anti-prom somewhere else,” Karui said, raising her head from Choji’s chest.

Shikamaru then brought Neji against him and took his hand while the other wrapped around the Hyuga’s back, “yeah, it was kinda rough on the way here,” the Nara said as he held the other in the stance.

“Well, glad you made it,” the red head said before lying her head back against her partner’s chest.

Shikamaru swayed side to side with Neji who had yet to relax, “me too,” the Nara responded, “Neji?”

Said Hyuga directed his attention to the Nara.

Shikamaru then neared his mouth to the other’s ear, “focus on the music. He’s in the hospital and being held by police,” the junior reminded the elder.

“I know.”

Shikamaru’s hand slid to the bottom center of his back, “then focus on now. If we need, then I’ll call our dads and they can come get us,” he said raising Neji’s hand over the Hyuga’s head, allowing the senior to spin, “do you wanna get concessions?”

“No,” Neji shook his head and exhaled to steady his mind.

“Look at me.”

Neji did as he was told and eyed the Nara whose figure was darkened by the dimness of the gym. The occasional purple spotlight would drift across his image, leaving his face to be engulfed into the room’s deep blue darkness all over again. He kept Shikamaru’s gaze as they swayed. Eventually, the Hyuga’s mind slowed from its rush of endless thoughts and fantastical scenarios enough to lean against the boy who continued to support him. He placed his head over the Nara’s shoulder, and they continued to move side to side slowly regardless of the tempo of the music and the voices around them. Neji closed his eyes, taking the time to follow Shikamaru’s instruction. He knew much of his calm came from the Nara, making him feel more and more like Hizashi depending on Shikaku for stability. It was as comforting as it was humiliating from time to time, but he accepted the support each time.

The beams of light slowed and softened as a new song played, calming the room. It was fitting for the speed of the two couples that danced side by side. It carried their motions as those around them began to couple up with just about anyone nearby whether they were there together or not. Though a few still danced erratically to the music out of their own humor, the majority had slowed to the tempo of the easy-going beat of the acoustic song that differentiated from the last one in every aspect.

Neji placed his face in the Nara’s neck as Shikamaru guided their faint movements.

“Look,” the Nara whispered.

Neji lifted his head and looked to Shikamaru who glanced just past the Hyuga who turned to find Naruto dancing with Sasuke. The Uzumaki laughed, surely not taking the slow dance seriously by any means, but Sasuke’s expression was the polar opposite. The Uchiha looked back to the pair through partially shocked eyes. His face was stiff and unsure of what to think or do, so he simply allowed Naruto to guide him.

Shikamaru offered him a smile as well as Neji, “wow,” the Nara spoke before Neji looked back to his own date, “happy for him.”

Neji nodded in agreement.

“You’re coming around,” Shikamaru commented, “your back isn’t as tight.”

The Hyuga smiled, “it began to feel sore.”

Shikamaru laughed before turning Neji until the Hyuga’s back was placed against his front. Neji stared to the lights as the Nara wrapped his arms around him, placing his mouth against the shoulder of his lilac suit jacket. They continued the same repeating swaying motion. Neji leaned his head back and watched the glow drift across the ceiling overhead. He allowed a slight smile to curve his lips. His chest fluttered with elatedness. It was the highest he had ever felt in the presence of another. It was comfortable and reassuring. He turned his head to place a kiss against the Nara’s cheek. He then spun to face Shikamaru until their smiles ghosted across one another’s.

“Feel better?” Shikamaru asked.

Neji kissed him in response to the question. Their lips stayed connected as they swayed until the Hyuga disconnected from the boy unwillingly. Shikamaru chased after him but was left unanswered.

“Glad to hear it,” the Nara responded to Neji’s reaction.

For the night, they could forget about the issues surrounding either of their families. For the night, it was only them and what they chose.

“Have you seen your sister?” Shikamaru asked.

Neji frowned as the thought occurred to him. He surveyed the room, looking for a large, dress of the night sky. He found specks of lights seemingly floating in the distance before seeing the girl who wore it. It was Hinata. Though Naruto had been her date, the Uzumaki had not touched the girl since Neji had arrive, but she seemed to be handling it rather well. She had pulled Darui from the punch table and given the boy a dance of his own. She was inviting like that and didn’t seem to mind being the one responsible for inclusivity. The two spun in a slow, mesmerizing circle that made Neji’s frown fade. The girl was there, and she was safe. She was safe and wore a comfortable smile.

“She looks nice,” the Nara commented.

Hinata waved to the two from across the gym.

Neji smiled to her as Shikamaru tipped his head in acknowledgement.

It felt normal. Everything had settled. It was a simple high school dance on a weekend night. Neji tried hard to shake the unconscious man from his head. He dropped his head against Shikamaru’s shoulder as if it could blind him from the image of the Sarutobi man lying against the street littered in potholes. The Nara wore a cologne that filled Neji’s senses. The Hyuga’s expression softened as the scent redirected his attention.

Sooner than he had wished, the slow period had ended, and the lights began to shoot from place to place as the music sped up. Neji felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Shikamaru reluctantly released the Hyuga as Neji turned to face them. It was Lee, beaming to him brightly offering his hand. The Nara frowned as Neji took it but raised a brow when the enthusiastic boy offered his free hand to him. The Nara took it and allowed him to pull them towards the rest of the group that had already joined hands. It seemed as if it were a giant ring formed by everyone that they knew. They all connected hands and closed the circle and began to spin.

“I feel like I’m in a cult,” Shikamaru commented.

“It was Hinata’s idea,” Sasuke said from right next to him.

The Nara looked to the Uchiha wondering where Lee had shot off to before spotting said boy across from him, on the other side of the expansive human ring. He wore the same smile as the group began to pick up pace.

“She wanted us all to dance together before the night ended!” Naruto called over the loud music, “this was the only way to really do it!”

Again, the ring picked up pace. Hinata seemed to be the one driving it all. From different points in the circle there were people saying they would break a heel or trip over their own feet, but they continued to spin excitedly until the speed of the circle blurred the lights.

“Wait!” Ino exclaimed before she tripped and fell. TenTen then fell over her, next came Lee, then Sakura, Karui, Choji, Darui, Omoi, Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, then Neji. They all lied like giggling fools after the tumble, but the night’s high only allowed them to see it as something to laugh off. Even with each stab of pain from someone’s elbow or heel, they couldn’t help but laugh until they cried.

. . .

Neji ran from the car to the Nara’s house with Shikamaru in hand. Neji grabbed the key that was hidden underneath the signature rock and opened the door in a rush before pulling the Nara inside and shutting the door behind them.

“I have to pick my dad up in forty,” the Nara said as Neji removed his suit jacket.

The Hyuga only smiled, “then hurry.”

Shikamaru began to remove his own suit jacket and unbuttoned what he wore underneath. Neji’s hands shot out and undid the tie, knowing that they hadn’t time to spare for such a trivial thing. Shikamaru worked the Hyuga’s trousers as Neji focused on the lilac tie around his neck. In doing so, the Nara yanked Neji’s hips against his own before pulling the turtleneck over the senior’s head. His heart fluttered at the sound of Neji’s laughter as they stumbled in the dark before tripping over the arm of the couch. It would do for now. Neji fell on top of him then helped pull the shirt from Shikamaru’s shoulders between breathy pants before connecting their lips only to laugh because he could not help but smile. The Nara ravished the Hyuga’s neck as Neji laughed out loud. The senior did not wish to be left with nothing to do so he handled the Nara through his own trousers earning a groan from Shikamaru as he rose his hips to the touch. Once Neji’s smile laxed, the Hyuga reconnected their lips a rushed motion before biting on the Nara’s bottom lip. He then pressed a kiss against Shikamaru’s neck, shoulder, then chest and, much to Shikamaru’s surprise, Neji snaked his way down to his pants leaving the Nara speechless as the Hyuga played with the waist band of his boxers.

“You don’t have to…” Shikamaru began but choked on his own words once he felt the Hyuga’s hand around him, “Neji,” he breathed out before feeling the Hyuga’s warm breath as it danced around his hardened length. It wasn’t long that he felt it before it was replaced by a hot wetness that worked a moan that just barely left his chest. He rolled his eyes shut and nearly bucked his hips into the heat, “Neji, you don’t have to,” he tried only to be interrupted by Neji strengthening the suction. Shikamaru hissed and involuntarily rolled his hips up just barely but enough to catch Neji off-guard. Still, the Hyuga came back up and traced the head with a sultry tongue before moving back down the member, sliding his tongue down its underside.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Shikamaru exhaled.

Neji gripped the base before he popped the Nara’s sex from his mouth and began to move his hand up and down now slickened by the saliva. It may not have been as hot and slick as his mouth, but it was quicker, and they had limited time. The fact only made it more exhilarating as Neji neared the other to the end. The Hyuga watched how the Nara’s stomach tightened at the tension that was building up within him. Mesmerized, the Hyuga kissed his stomach as his hand worked Shikamaru to a point of letting out a single sigh of peace.

“Neji,” Shikamaru spoke.

Neji placed more kisses against his bare abdomen. He knew what it meant and was proven correct as soon as he felt the sticky white trickle down his fingers. He removed his hand and studied it the best he could in the dark.

The Nara sighed, “shit, don’t study it.”

Neji looked to the boy who sat up before turning away from him entirely. The Hyuga leaned against the arm of the sofa and stared at it for a bit before feeling Shikamaru against his backside. He allowed the Nara to reach into his lilac bottoms and grip him just over his undergarments. Neji smiled to himself and reached back to wipe the spillage against the Nara’s own pants.

“Fair enough,” the Nara whispered over his shoulder as his hand sank through the Hyuga’s briefs until he felt the warm skin against his cooler hand. Neji gripped the arm of the couch as he felt Shikamaru pull his waist band past his hips enough to be able to move without the hindrance of clothing. Neji leaned his head back as Shikamaru kissed alongside his neck and stroked slowly. Every time the Neji rolled his hips forward, Shikamaru’s hand would distance itself from the male. He could tell by Neji’s movements that he was frustrating the senior, but it only gave him a warm feeling. He smiled against the Hyuga’s shoulder.

“Nara,” Neji hissed. He had forgotten how much the junior enjoyed watching him suffer.

“Hm?”

His response only annoyed Neji further, but his faint complaint hastened the other’s stroke, so he stopped his griping. The Hyuga bucked into the hand. Shikamaru brought his free hand to the Hyuga’s stomach to hold him up as Neji filled his hand. Neji then gripped the arm of the sofa as a familiar heat began to build up.

Shikamaru kissed just behind his ear, “come on,” he whispered beckoningly.

Neji’s hair fell over his shoulder once he let out a sharp sigh. He then tossed the curtain over his shoulder, purposely hitting the Nara with the long strands. The Nara’s words only made him finish faster and he was in no rush at the moment.

Shikamaru only let out a breathy chuckle before kissing the same spot, “you looked amazing tonight. I couldn’t wait to take you home. It was killing me.”

“Nara,” Neji wished to muster a warning tone only for a weak moan to omit from deep within his throat. He instantly regretted speaking.

“I wanted to undress you on the dancefloor.”

“Shikamaru,” Neji whined, earning him a harsh thrust from behind. Shikamaru tightened his hold onto the Hyuga.

Shikamaru placed a firm kiss against Neji’s pulse, “I fucking love you.”

Neji dropped his head against the arm of the couch as he spilled against the Nara’s hand. Shikamaru then leaned down to lie against Neji’s back with a triumphant smile. The smile then turned to ice as he heard the keys in the front door turning in the lock. Shikamaru shot up and gathered their discarded clothing.

“Why is it always your father?” Neji asked in a whisper as he yanked his shirt from the Nara’s hand.

“I don’t fucking know. Ask him,” the Nara shot back as he buttoned up his shirt as quickly as he could, “shit,” he cursed to his tie that lied limply in the corner of the room. He thought that he would be giving the man a ride home, but it seemed as though Shikaku found another way of transportation. They heard the man’s heavy boots creak against the old wood before he turned into the living room, turning the lights on to reveal two disheveled boys whose previous activities were anything but discreet. He stared to his son’s crooked shirt and Neji’s messy hair. Though both boys were fully clothed, it did little to hide the fact which began to swell in the room.

Shikaku looked too drained to scold either one of them, “did you use a condemn?”

The boys looked to each other.

Shikaku simply grumbled something before leaving and turning the light back off, “if you need anything, I’ll be in the back,” he yawned before they heard the door of his room shut after some silent seconds.

Neji sealed his eyes from the embarrassment as he raked his fingers through his tangled mane.

Shikamaru cleared his throat, “you can stay if you want.”

. . .

It was peaceful, normal, and for the first time in a long time, it was predictable. The day was no longer a series of misfortunate events triggered by some hidden underlying butterfly effect. They went to school, studied, came home, and added whatever they wanted to the schedule as they pleased. It had been that way for months. They made it safely through without unsettling confrontations or being held at gun point. They attended class and their worries slimmed down to due dates and community service hours. The two had a newfound appreciation for the simple luxury of living the typical life along with its average pressures. Finally, the day came where their choices contributed to the layout of their futures.

“Neji,” the Nara called after shutting the trunk of his father’s car having retrieved his cap and gown.

“Gods,” Hiashi grumbled knowing he would have to unload the car himself once Neji spotted the boy, and he was right. Neji headed straight towards him, leaving his own family to sort through everything packed in the vehicle. The Hyuga embraced the Nara and they remained that way as others rushed towards the venue of their graduation.

“You two should get it out of your system before you get seated. Your last names aren’t exactly next to each other according to the order of the name call,” Shikaku said as he approached the pair.

“Good morning, Shikaku,” Hiashi greeted.

“Speak for yourself, I had to damn near quit my job to make it here,” the elder Nara complained, “where’s your brother?”

“Working,” Hiashi answered, but he had spoken too soon.

“No, he’s right there,” Hanabi pointed out, nearly tripping in her mid-length heels that she had begged to wear that morning.

The group looked in the distance to see Hizashi rushing his way to the group in a button up black shirt, black trousers, and leather dress shoes. He lacked a tie, and his hair was a messy low bun, but they all knew it was impressive for him.

“Hizashi? But how did you get out of your shift?” Hiashi questioned suspiciously.

“The Akimichi are very understanding. Their son is moving to the final grade today and they were celebrating, and she knew Neji was graduating, graduating, so she let me off the hook! Wait, I thought you had another year of school?” Hizashi looked to Shikamaru who was clad in a deep red cap and gown.

“Graduating early,” the Nara said proudly.

“Oh! Congratulations! You must be smart like your dad,” Hizashi elbowed said Nara with a smile.

Shikaku nodded pridefully and wrapped an arm around his childhood friend, “today, we celebrate them and their big brains.”

“Congratulations guys,” Hizashi said now addressing both students, “I hope you’re going to college.”

Neji nodded.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru responded.

Hizashi smiled, “good,” it was a smile of relief, Neji could tell. Hizashi didn’t want them ending up like him: left with no choice until something came to him, something unsightly and inescapable.

“Well, let’s make it inside. We cannot miss their celebration,” Hiashi ordered before taking for the venue’s doors. The others followed, but Neji stayed still and watched the road. Somehow, Hizashi had caught the unspoken memo to stay put. He watched his son and waited for anything to be said.

Neji opened his mouth before closing it. He felt like he should say something, but he hadn’t a clue of what. His eyes met the man’s momentarily before averting themselves once again. Neji only offered a slight nod. It was like an odd, silent welcome. It said that he approved of Hizashi’s presence at the milestone, but it was a welcome that still held the man responsible for his past mistakes. Still, it was acknowledgement of Hizashi’s existence made by Neji who he wished more than anything to be closer to, but his foolery had distanced them greatly. Hizashi knew that many things were irredeemable and that Neji was gracious just to not chase him away now. Hizashi smiled nevertheless and soaked in the smallest of interactions until Neji stepped a bit closer, still avoiding the man’s gaze. Hizashi felt his own face light up before he wrapped the boy in his arms. It was a tight hold that extended for seconds that seemed to drag on and on. Neji urged himself to back away, but he knew that the simple contact would work wonders for the man’s spirit and mentality, so he stayed, hoping that some good would come from it. He willed himself to force forgiveness, then perhaps it would become real over time, but for now, it was still a bit tense between the two of them and either male knew it. It only went unspoken.

Neji listened as the man over his shoulder let out a hefty sigh before finally releasing him. He had teared up, “I’m sorry,” Hizashi found himself apologizing yet again, “thank you,” he smiled before laughing.

Neji looked to him longer than he had over the five suffocating minutes since his arrival. He nodded in return and looked towards the venue’s doors where Hiashi had been holding the door all throughout the excruciatingly awkward moments. There was a look on Hiashi’s face that Neji could not read. It was almost somber with a touch of relief. It, just like Neji, had a tinge of stiffness, but it could not be helped. They each collectively knew Hizashi had caused their worlds to turn inside out but was with them now. He had been through a lifetime of hatred and isolation. There were still things that he did not understand and maybe things that he would need his own son and nieces to teach him, but he was a part of them now, no longer a secret to all of humanity. He was a Hyuga.


	100. Chapter 100

“What the...” Shikamaru mumbled as he struggled to over a jar of olives.

Neji looked to the Nara curiously as he worked the jar’s tight lid, “I thought you disliked olives.”

“It’s a love-hate type of deal,” the Nara said as he studied the label.

Neji reached out and Shikamaru placed the jar into his hands. The Hyuga bared down on it until he heard a loud squeak before handing it back to the other. Shikamaru smirked as he retrieved the glass, “thanks.”

Neji looked back to his textbook and traced his finger across the wording until his eyes met where he had left off.

“You wanna walk around the city tonight, or are you too busy?” The Nara questioned as he popped an olive into his mouth.

Neji considered it for a moment, “nothing is due tonight,” since college picked up, Neji found himself pushing back his work later and later. Shikamaru was only glad to get a hold of the Hyuga when he could. The Nara didn’t take classes as of yet. He had decided to take the rest of the year off from any type of education after running himself thin trying to catch up to finish the high school year. Now, he worked at the university merch and supplies shop on campus. Neither of them had been convicted of the crimes they had committed under the Akatsuki’s instruction which no one could ever explain, but they simply lived on. They opened a new chapter in their own apartment of which Shikamaru and Neji split the payment. The Nara’s salary and the Hyuga’s father and uncle’s pays all went to the apartment’s periodic rent.

“I’ll take it as a yes,” Shikamaru decided.

“This time, wear a coat,” the Hyuga ordered. Shikamaru, though highly intelligent, tended to not think about things such as the weather beforehand. It could be due to his nonchalant, unconcerned, personality, but the last time they had scavenged the city of Earth Country upon their first couple of months in the apartment, Shikamaru had cut the walk short due to insufficient layers. It was ironic given who the Nara was back in Fire Country. However, these days, Neji tended to see the younger’s arms more often. He was happy to know that he did not dress according to his memory of Sasori, but he seemed to be nearly over exploiting the newfound comfort.

. . .

“Why is Earth Country always so damn cold?” Shikamaru asked as he watched the city goers wearing clothing that was winter worthy, but a bit light given the icicles that hung from each tightly packed shop they passed.

“I am sure that you are glad I forced you into the coat,” Neji commented just next to him.

“Yeah,” the Nara admitted through a warm breath that danced through the air as mist, “the hell made you come to school here anyways?”

“Their education system is top tier,” and the Hyuga had gotten a full ride. Throughout the past months, the tension had dissipated until the groups decided to place their hatred towards their higher ups, the Akatsuki and Senju, at long last. Because of this, Hiashi decided it couldn’t hurt for Neji to take the scholastic offer. He did however hesitate to take the university up on it. With some persuasion from those around him, Hiashi eventually came around. The man did have to get three of his children through college after all. Besides, Neji nor Shikamaru were at the center of the groups’ disputes enough for them to be targeted. It helped to know that the boys wouldn’t be there alone as well.

“Yeah, you told me, but is it worth freezing your ass off year-round?”

“You are over exaggerating. They have a light spring for months,” the Hyuga argued.

Shikamaru shivered, “whatever, can I choose where we go for vacation next?”

“Where would you like to go?”

“Home. Mom won’t stop griping about seeing my face.”

“We can visit Konoha.”

“Great,” Shikamaru then looked up to find a deli, “Neji.”

The Hyuga turned to find the Nara holding the handle to the sub sandwich shop. He then smiled approvingly before making his way through the door.

. . .

Izumi laughed with a mouthful of sushi at the joke that Shikamaru had unintentionally cracked. She snorted as she covered her mouth, “I’m sorry,” she apologized between muffled giggles, “I’m sorry!”

“I don’t even know what I said,” Shikamaru mumbled before sipping his soft drink.

Her laughter did not die down.

“What are you drinking?” The Nara furrowed his brows only strengthening her outburst of which none of them understood the source.

Haku smiled as he watched the woman laugh herself to tears.

“You’re going to choke,” Sasuke commented monotonously.

Haku was next to begin his hysterical laughter. He was happier now. He was still quiet and had a rather lonely demeanor, but he was more present in moments such as these since being away from everything that had made him question his very existence even down to the space he occupied. He laughed next to Izumi who leaned against the pale boy as she came undone.

It was nice to move somewhere that had familiar faces. It was only a coincidence that Neji’s desired school was located near the others. They kept in touch and tended to have outings such as these that strengthened their connection.

“Okay, okay,” Izumi settled down, “I’m sorry,” she sighed dramatically as she wiped her eyes, “I’ll pay.”

“Okay,” Shikamaru agreed.

“No,” Neji shot a glare to the Nara.

As they all expected, even that small exchange kick started another one of Izumi’s drunken laughing fits.

. . .

“Sasuke said Naruto was coming for a visit,” Shikamaru informed as Neji guided him in ice skates.

“Really?”

“Yeah, he wants us all to get together or something,” the Nara continued as he wobbled unsteadily. Neji gripped his waist and guided him lightly towards the edge of the rink for him to have something to hold.

“How are they?” The Hyuga asked, knowing that the Nara would understand what he meant.

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head, “it’s like Naruto likes the guy but doesn’t even know. It’s kinda tragic, but maybe he’ll figure himself out on this visit.”

Neji studied the other before looking out to a crowd of people who either skated proficiently or struggling with staying upright. He hoped that whatever went on between the two would eventually sort itself out, because, even after nearly two years away, Sasuke still seemed to be fixated on the Uzumaki. It was a good sign that the two had stayed in touch enough for Naruto to travel so far just to see him he supposed. Neji leaned against the rink and looked back to the Nara who bared down on the edge for dear life.

Shikamaru shut his eyes to ground himself, “I don’t think I wanna do this anymore.”

. . .

They made their way down the hall of the apartment building as they looked for Izumi’s room number.

Neji read his phone aloud, “Izumi said that she took Haku shopping earlier and would be back a bit later.”

“Alright,” Shikamaru said before stopping in front of the woman’s room. Typically, she left it open when they made plans to get together, so the Nara did not even do so much as knock before opening the apartment door. They entered the complex. Neji placed the gift on the kitchen counter. It was silent apart from the woman’s cat that mewled at the Hyuga’s feet. It did not bother going near the other which only solidified Shikamaru’s dislike for felines. He deadpanned as the cat trotted away leaving the two to explore the seemingly empty apartment, “so, you wanna check upstairs?”

“Hey!” Izumi exclaimed as she swung the door open followed by Haku who wore pink cheeks due to the cold bite of Earth Country. He entered and placed the shopping bags against the kitchen counter next to the gift that Neji had settled earlier.

“What is this?” Haku asked the woman.

“Not mine,” Izumi responded at noticing the reflective box.

“It is yours,” Shikamaru corrected, “we got it for you,” he smiled his surprise away from the woman’s sudden barge.

“Hey, Izumi!” Naruto shouted from upstairs. The group on the lower floor listened to his thunderous footsteps overheard as he made his way down the steps with Sasuke in pursuit, “whatchya got there?”

“Just some clothes and a present apparently,” the woman beamed before cracking her knuckles to unwrap the gift. She tore the wrapping rapidly and uncapped the box to find a jewelry box that resembled opal, “oh,” her eyes lit up as she held a hand over her chest gratefully, “this is beautiful, thank you.”

“Open it, there’s more,” the Nara said.

The woman then opened the sturdy box to find earrings, necklaces and bracelets that were dainty silver, some adorned with real diamonds. On the roof of the box’s top was her name engrained in cursive. Her mouth dropped.

“What?! How much was this?! It’s beautiful!” She laced the silver between her fingers, “wait, how much was it?” She whispered as she looked over the collection.

“Ask Itachi,” Shikamaru responded.

Her eyes softened as she looked over the pair, “he…”

“He saw it on a commercial while he was in jail and told us to get it for you,” Neji explained.

“He said you were more of a silver type of girl,” the Nara added.

Izumi wore as many bracelets as she could before her eyes began to well with tears, “thank you,” she whispered, holding the accessories to her chest before her head fell into her hands.

Haku rubbed her back, and Sasuke walked around Naruto to hug her as she cried.

For the rest of the night, they each told of events that had happened during their time apart. They cooked and watched movies, anything to indulge in each other’s company during the cold season. Together, they were oblivious to the snow that flurried just outside until Naruto pulled the curtain to the balcony. He alerted the others of the snow fall, instantly getting the rest to make their way towards the glass. Though everyone besides the Uzumaki had been there for nearly two years, two years was only a sliver of their lifetime in Fire Country. Fire Country had a warmer climate, and snow was a rarity. None of them had gotten used to it, so when it did fall, it would be a magical sight. Eventually, simply watching it was no longer satisfactory for the blond, so he slid the balcony door open and stepped onto the balcony that stood high enough for them to view much of the night city that glowed in the winter night. Its bite was cold, but hardly noticeable above everything else it offered. The group followed behind the Uzumaki and looked up to the snow that fluttered down towards the earth to meet those who would either admire its pureness or melt it with their tongue. Izumi wrapped an arm around Haku to keep him warm as she had unknowingly done ever since the night outside of the Senju night club. Naruto pulled Sasuke next to him and urged him to stick his tongue out. Though the Uchiha found it incredibly immature, he did it much like he did anything else the blond wished for him to do. Sasuke did it because Naruto’s reactions were always worth stepping just slightly out of his comfort zone reinforced by a shell that the Uzumaki continuously chipped. On the far end, Shikamaru held Neji against him in a warm, comforting hug that seemed to melt the flurries that dared to dance around them. Shikamaru admired the complex ice sheets that felt against Neji’s hair, decorating it in white fluff. The Nara stroked the male’s hair behind his ear and kissed his forehead. Neji sank further into the embrace and watched the white snow as it began to thicken into a silent shower that painted the land and its construction the color of winter. Together, the group stood in silence in pairs that couldn’t be pried apart no matter the force. They stood together through everything, now they stood together over the city that they had learned to love.

. . .

“Naruto is visiting again. Sasuke believes he may be staying throughout the entire semester break,” Neji informed over the counter.

“That’s good. They need to be together. Watching Sasuke move like he doesn’t have a soul gets old after a while,” the Nara said, crossing his arms over his name tag as he inhaled deeply, “how much time do I have left?”

“Thirty minutes,” Neji answered as he responded to the Uchiha’s text.

“Neji?”

“Yes?” The Hyuga locked his phone and tucked it away.

“Do you ever worry about things?”

“Yes,” Neji answered without hesitation, “but, we are fortunate to be where he are now.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Shikamaru sighed his way into a slouch. The therapy had helped them get back on track enough to focus on things other than gruesome death and running like their life depended on it, but the events during that time were unpredictable. He felt as if they were in no place to say that nothing would occur simply because years had passed, and they had relocated.

“I understand,” Neji assured, locking his eyes with the Nara’s. He then placed his hand against the checkout counter for Shikamaru to take to which the younger complied. All Neji could do was offer a soft smile of reassurance, because he wasn’t gifted with persuasion enough to convince the other that they were completely in the clear. Still, it was enough. Sooner than he wished, Neji pulled away and stood up, “I have to make it to class. I will see you at home.”

Shikamaru nodded with a comforting, lazy smile, “love you,” he said, catching Neji in the door.

The Hyuga turned with a new smile. It was more energetic. It almost resembled Hizashi’s own, “love you too,” the Hyuga silently mouthed through the store’s glass.

Shikamaru felt his male coworker’s eyes on him, but the Nara did not spare him even so much as a glance before flipping him off.

. . .

“Hi, Neji!” Hizashi greeted excitedly through the laptop screen. In the image was the man along with his nieces. They seemed to be getting along just fine. Hizashi stepped back to continue stirring the frosting in the bowl.

“Can we make the frosting orange?” Hanabi asked enthusiastically.

“Orange is my favorite color!” Hizashi exclaimed.

“Me too!” The girl jumped.

Hinata only smiled to them form where she began making the actual cup cake batter.

“This is ridiculous,” Hizashi complained from where he struggled with dough and rolling it with a rolling pin. The dough continued to stick to the wood of the pin as opposed to rolling clean against the surface.

“You put too much butter,” Hinata explained before taking over and spreading the dough with her hands. Hiashi looked to her studiously as the girl worked with flour coating her hands.

Neji smiled at the image and wondered if that’s how it would have been had their mother returned that night.

“Where’s Shikamaru?” Hizashi asked.

“Right here,” Shikamaru strolled into sight, holding an energy drink before bending by Neji in order for the camera to catch his face.

“Is that stubble on your chin?” Hizashi raised a brow teasingly.

The Nara pinched the collar of his shirt and covered his chin with the fabric.

“I wanna see,” Hanabi demanded as she covered the camera entirely with her eye jokingly. She laughed at her own image before turning to steal a dollop of orange frosting.

“Hanabi,” Hiashi criticized, getting the girl to retreat her arm.

“It’s alright. I have a bunch anyways,” Hizashi smiled before he whispered to the girl, “you want more?”

Neji let out a light laugh at what played out beyond the screen. It was night in Fire Country, but mid afternoon for him. There was a time difference, but they were consistent with calls. He watched as Hizashi slipped the girl a small bowl of icing just to snack on until the actual cup cakes were done. It was something their mother would have done just to challenge Hiashi’s stern wishes. In a way, it looked as if Hizashi was giving Hanabi something she could never truly experience. Neji’s eyes softened as he watched them all work together on what had only been Hinata’s idea days prior. She had a knack for bringing things into reality on a whim.

Neji looked to the time and realized that he should start his assignments for the night, “I have to go,” he informed through a tired smile.

“Aw!” Hanabi protested.

“I miss you,” Hinata voiced behind the girl.

“We’ll send pictures of the cup cakes,” Hizashi promised, “and the cookies if Hiashi figures it out.”

“Be safe!” Hiashi ordered after scoffing at his brother’s comment.

“I will,” Neji nodded, “I love you,” he said, catching them all off-guard.

“What did you just say?” Hanabi asked as she approached the camera. Seeing her next to her elder sister really showed just how much the girl had grown.

Neji smiled, “bye,” he said before ending the call. He took in a deep breath as he looked to his books.

Shikamaru kissed his cheek before taking a sip from the energy drink that he had so desperately needed at work, “don’t kill yourself doing all that work tonight.”

“I have no choice.”

“You can sacrifice one assignment, right?”

“I would not like to.”

“Come on,” the Nara urged.

“Alright,” Neji agreed before standing from his seat.

Shikamaru froze at how quickly he had settled, “really?”

Neji nodded as he clung onto the younger. He ran his thumb over the short hair that had grown from the Nara’s chin, “you are letting it grow,” the Hyuga noticed.

“I can get rid of it if you hate it.”

“No, I like it,” Neji said as they swayed side to side in their bedroom, “what would you like to do once finals are over?”

“Eat, have sex, you know.”

“Alright,” Neji agreed.

“Seriously? Are you just gonna agree to everything I say today?”

Neji nodded against him.

“Can we watch a gory movie once you’re done with work?”

Neji nodded again.

“Can we get fast food?”

“Yes.”

“Can we go to that arcade we passed the other day?” The Nara knew that the other cared nothing for video games.

“Yes, Shikamaru.”

The Nara wandered through his own mind of ideas that he had lied to rest previous to Neji’s sudden submission, “can we,” he thought for a few more moments, “take a nap?”

“If you can after drinking that,” Neji agreed.

“You know I can sleep through anything, anywhere, any time.”

“Then, yes.”

Shikamaru led the Hyuga towards the bed and lied over him, placing his head against Neji’s chest as the elder male toyed with his hair. Neji smiled to the man that weighed him against the mattress. It was a warm weight that felt secure in every sense. He played with the silver ring in the Nara’s ear lobe as Shikamaru began to drift off, proving his point efficiently. Neji listened to the city that bustled in the cold Earth Country. It was the same city he heard under a circumstance that differentiated severely from the one of which he indulged himself in right in that moment. The fear was no longer as strong, and if it was, it was more easily shut out by the presence of the other. Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Neji before relasing a light satisfied sigh that wafted through the fabric of the Hyuga’s sweater. They were safe. They could rest assured and open themselves to the new chapter. After fighting to reclaim their lives and make their way through the blood shed and slavery all in their fathers’ names, they had risen above it all. Neji shut his eyes as the sun drifted through the sky, making its way to tuck itself behind Earth Country’s horizon. Shikamaru knew he needed the rest, and so Neji agreed to take it. He rested with the Nara who vowed to protect him back in Sasori’s basement. Sasori who had scarred the man mentally and physically, but still, Sasori who lied defeated just like the rest of his associates, brethren, gang members. He was gone just like Kisame, Hidan, Kabuto, Orochimaru, the Senju, and Neji’s hatred towards the man who had brought him into it all. They were gone, and now it was only him. It was only Neji and how he moved forward through it all. And continuing forward with Shikamaru standing strongly by his side, he did.

. . .

Neji’s phone vibrated, pulling him from his light snooze. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times before noticing that night had fallen across the land. The air was cooler now than it was when they first lied in bed together. Shikamaru was still asleep on top of him and, as always, did not move a muscle at the vibration that the cellular sent through the sheets. The Hyuga sighed through his nose and shut his eyes for just seconds more before grabbing his phone that was settled right by them. He unlocked it and shut his eyes reflexively before lowering the brightness. He had received a text he noticed, so he tapped it and allowed his eyes to adjust before reading through it. Once he did, however, his blood ran cold.

_’Since you ruined us the first time, let’s try this again. Ever wonder why you’re free and not serving time with Itachi?’ Unknown number._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued?
> 
> Idk probably not. I’ll probably just write other random stuff and if I run out of ideas, I’ll just write a follow up to this hot mess.


End file.
